The Golden State Warriors’ roster for the 2023-24 season is beginning to take shape. After much speculation brought forth by the Warriors’ turbulent 2022-23 campaign, they finally traded away Jordan Poole, although it’s fair for fans to wonder whether getting a 38-year old Chris Paul in return was the best return they could have gotten for someone many thought would be one of the team’s core players in the post-Stephen Curry era.
The Warriors also drafted Brandin Podziemski, the sweet-shooting guard out of Santa Clara and Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 20-10 threat in college who fell precipitously on NBA Draft night perhaps due to age concerns. The Warriors brass may not be expecting Podziemski to contribute from day one if general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s words are anything to go by, but given how well the 20-year old guard’s skillset should translate to the NBA, it won’t come as a surprise to anyone if he becomes a capable Donte DiVincenzo replacement.
If anything, the Warriors’ frontcourt situation — particularly at center — remains a huge mess. Apart from Kevon Looney, the Warriors do not have any established NBA players on the roster that the team can rely on to crack the rotation. Expecting that from Jackson-Davis, as big of a chip he’s carrying on his shoulder, is not the shrewdest course of action.
With this glaring roster need in mind, here are three players the Warriors must move heaven and earth for just to secure their services in free agency.
Draymond Green
It’s a laughable cliché these days whenever fans or analysts allude to a player as a team’s heart and soul. But in the case of the Warriors, Draymond Green is not just the team’s emotional backbone, he is also their defensive anchor, on-court expressive leader, and a playmaker whose basketball IQ serves to accentuate Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s near game-breaking range from deep.
This past postseason alone, Green proved his worth to the Warriors as the team’s second most-important player, taking on a myriad of defensive assignments from Domantas Sabonis, to Anthony Davis, and even LeBron James. His defensive versatility helped compensate for the Warriors’ glaring lack of personnel who could hold their own on that end of the court.
Even though Draymond Green is not as quick as he was during his defensive prime, he is still able to keep up with most players on the perimeter all the while making use of his long wingspan to deter would-be scorers at the hoop. During the 2022-23 season, the Warriors allowed 3.6 more points per 100 possessions without him on the court (118.4 vs 114.8 with him on). To put that in perspective, their defensive rating without Green would have ranked 26th in the league.
Sure, Green is not the most effective scorer. His touch near the hoop comes and goes and his jumpshot is so inconsistent. But the Warriors don’t need him to score that much anyway. Green knows his role as a dribble handoff hub and as someone who can still carve up defenses on the short roll whenever they blitz Stephen Curry. His chemistry with the Splash Brothers brought forth by his considerable experience playing with the two isn’t just something the Warriors can replace.
It may take the Warriors a contract of around $30 million per year to keep Draymond Green in town, but given their move for Chris Paul which signifies their intent to go all-in on contending for next season, skimping on free agency costs now wouldn’t make much sense.
Andre Drummond
It’s now difficult to believe that Andre Drummond was once viewed as a foundational star. But that doesn’t mean that Drummond can’t provide value to a team with contending aspirations if he decides to decline his player option with the Chicago Bulls for next season (which is a big if at the moment)
For one, Drummond would give the Warriors another monster on the glass. Given how much the Warriors love hoisting up jumpshots, getting someone who can clean up on the offensive boards could be a worthwhile move. Moreover, Drummond has shown in the past that he can be a smart passer off the high post. As long as he doesn’t try to dribble too much, perhaps the Warriors could even squeeze some playmaking juice out of him.
Sure, he’s not the most mobile defensive presence on the perimeter. His scoring game isn’t exactly must-see television. But if he lands with the Warriors, they won’t be asking him to do too much anyway. They’ll just need him to soak up some frontcourt minutes and give them another huge presence in the paint who could deter would-be scorers as well as be a nuisance on the passing lanes.
The Warriors won’t need Drummond to be a star. They will just need him to play to his strengths. And for the veteran minimum (or something close to it), it’s hard to find stronger value than what Drummond could provide. Hopefully the lure of playing with Stephen Curry proves to be too enticing for the Bulls center to refuse.
Moritz Wagner
Moritz Wagner’s name isn’t the sexiest on the free agent market, but he may very well be one of the more effective additions for any team looking to bolster their frontcourt depth. For starters, Wagner has a well-rounded offensive game for a big man. He can pop up for midrange shots or even triples, and he could even put the ball on the deck and utilize his quickness against plodding big men.
In the Warriors’ system, his playmaking could end up flourishing as well. He has shown that he can hit cutters with his back to the basket, as well as throw pinpoint bounce passes off the high post for easy shots at the rim. Given how tirelessly the Warriors’ players move around the perimeter, he’ll have plenty of chances in the Bay to bring that part of his game out.
Wagner also has a bit of an edge to his game; he can be a bit of an annoyance to the opposition, as evidenced by his on-court tussles against Killian Hayes and even Giannis Antetokounmpo. Thus, he could very well have synergy with Draymond Green.
The Orlando Magic may end up keeping Moritz Wagner in the end, given the chemistry he has with his brother, Franz. But the Warriors should at least make the 26-year old big man think about where he’ll end up signing once free agency begins.
