There is a cloud of sadness hanging all over the Golden State Warriors franchise at the moment. Just two years after winning their fourth championship in seven years, the Warriors dynasty has seemingly run its course. Klay Thompson’s departure is all but sealed, and all that’s left is for him to sign with another team, and the Dubs took a huge swing but whiffed on a potential trade for Paul George, who is now on his way to joining the Philadelphia 76ers.
As the old adage goes, all good things come to an end. Perhaps it’s best for the Warriors to acknowledge that fact. While Stephen Curry being on the roster and still playing at an All-NBA level means that there is pressure for the front office to put together a contending team, Bill Simmons suggested that the Dubs should try and convince Curry that hitting the reset button by trading away Draymond Green is their best course of action.
“Trade Draymond, right now is the time, gotta do it, you just got to. You got to rip the band aid off and just do it, and talk Steph into it and explain to him we’re going to not be good for one year and we’ll make it up to you,” Simmons said on the most recent episode of his eponymous podcast.
Bill Simmons is never one to shy away from some wild trade ideas. For instance, he floated a potential deal between the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers where the end result is Draymond Green finally gets to team up with his good buddy and Klutch Sports co-client LeBron James.
“What could they get for Draymond? Like could they talk the Lakers into Rui Hachimura, and that (Jalen) Hood-Schifino, and a 2029 1st for Draymond?” Simmons pondered.
It will be interesting to monitor how the Warriors will proceed this offseason now that their clear-cut options at improving the roster around Stephen Curry are no longer available to them. But clearly, the sun has set on the Warriors dynasty.
The Warriors’ sad reality
It looked like anything was on the table for the Warriors prior to the start of free agency. Adding Paul George would not have made them one of the favorites to win the 2025 NBA championship, but George would have at least given them a legit two-way star on the wing. Losing Klay Thompson is painful, not just because he’s a legend of the franchise, but because the Dubs will be a worse team without him as they will sorely miss his gravity around the perimeter.
And then there’s the matter of Chris Paul’s departure; the Dubs had to let go of Paul lest his $30 million contract for the 2024-25 season become guaranteed, but in the end, they were unable to use his salary as a trade filler for a major roster upgrade.
At the end of the day, riding out the sunset of Stephen Curry’s career as a middling team isn’t the worst idea in the world. The Warriors should have at least four exciting young players in Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis to sell to what has become an increasingly dejected fanbase. The Warriors franchise has nothing to prove anyway; while winning another championship would be nice, what they have achieved since 2015 is something that most other NBA franchises could only dream of.
Potential Draymond Green trade destinations
Bill Simmons brought up the Lakers as a potential trade destination for Draymond Green; Green would give the Lakers an elite defensive frontcourt with a pairing alongside Anthony Davis, and he is also an elite playmaker and play connector. Jalen Hood-Schifino could be a solid prospect to take on just one year after being drafted with the 17th overall pick.
But there are a few other contending teams that could certainly use Green’s services. The Miami Heat stand out as a perfect fit for Green and what he brings to the court; Green brings an identity of toughness, grit, and unselfishness that make him a natural for the team’s famous culture. However, they may not have the assets to convince the Warriors to send Green to South Beach.
In the end, the most likely outcome is that the Warriors retain Draymond Green and let him ride off into the sunset with Stephen Curry. But the Warriors, after being very passive in swinging win-now trades over the past few seasons, can no longer afford to watch opportunities pass them by if they were to commit to a direction, whether it’s to compete for a playoff spot or to embrace the youth movement.