No matter how poorly this season turns out for the Warriors, the franchise is in good position for the future, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Golden State has seen a nightmarish run of injuries dating back to last year’s NBA Finals, and while none of the currently active players were on the roster last season, the situation gives the front office time to assess what they have before trying to jump back into title contention in 2020/21.
Windhorst notes that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are all in the prime of their careers and are under long-term contracts. In addition, the first-round pick the Warriors owe Brooklyn in 2020 is top-20 protected and seems in no danger of conveying. It could wind up high in the lottery and provide another building block for the future. Also, Golden State holds a $17MM trade exception from the Andre Iguodala deal that doesn’t expire until July 7, and the franchise has the top source of revenue in the league thanks to a new arena.
The team also has a prime trade asset in D’Angelo Russell, who becomes eligible to be dealt on December 15. Windhorst believes the Warriors can get another first-round pick and at least a role player for Russell, who is in position to be showcased once he returns from an ankle injury. He adds that if no deal can be reached by the trade deadline, Russell should keep his trade value for the summer.
Willie Cauley-Stein and Alec Burks, who signed with Golden State expecting to be part of a playoff team, suddenly look like valuable trade assets as well, Windhorst adds.
There’s more Warriors news to pass along:
- Golden State started three rookies for the third consecutive game tonight, and coach Steve Kerr told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that the immediate focus will be on player development. “While we have guys out, we have to try to bring along our young players, help them develop and give them every opportunity to develop into rotation players, maybe even starters,” Kerr said. “If we can do that, that makes this a successful season or half season, however long it is. And we have a leg up when guys get healthy again.”
- Green, who has a torn ligament in his left index finger, didn’t accompany the team on its current road trip, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. He won’t return to action until Monday at the earliest.
- The Warriors are encouraged by the latest tests on Kevon Looney, who is undergoing treatment for a neuropathic condition, Slater adds (Twitter link). The team believes he will be able to play again this season, but he has been ruled out for the next two weeks.
Windhorst puffing up the Warriors, who would have thought?
Future could be bright, but it’s going to be a looooong season..
They will no doubt be better but the reasons he gave other than Curry, Klay and Green were downright comical. They traded a 1st to get Russell so how does trading him for a similar asset and role player move the needle? This years draft is very weak outside the top 2 so the fate of their pick becoming a building block is in the fate of ping pong balls. What he said about Cauley-Stein and Burks is the craziest of all. No one is trading anything of value for those dudes.
Hardly a weak draft there’s actually plenty of talent. Cole Anthony, James Wiseman, Isiah Stewart, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton. There’s a good bunch of other guys with high ceilings but need to work on a few things.
I swear every year they say it’s a weak draft class, not very draft year can produce 10 all stars.
I still really dislike the series of moves required to land DLo for the Warriors, but are actually quite a few more reasons than just the return of the stars that the Warriors should be more optimistic.
1. Financially. By hard capping themselves they reset the tax. Warriors ownership hasn’t shown any unwillingness to pay any amount of luxury tax so far but this just makes it even more likely they’ll be willing to do so in the next couple years with none or lesser repeater penalties in coming seasons than they would’ve been facing.
2. Trade and draft assets. It would be surprising if they don’t move at least a couple of veterans like WCS, Burks or Robinson for small assets like 2nd round picks this year. Going into next offseason with those small assets and Russell or the draft pick they get from Russell (which you’d have to assume will hold more trade value than their own future pick owed to Memphis)plus their own lottery pick in the 2020 draft and the 17 million dollar trade exception they got from moving iguodala gives them a lot of trade options.
3. Free agency. They won’t be hard capped again. While the contracts of the stars will more than likely prevent them from being players for the biggest free agents they’ll have either a salary cap exception to use again. And Marc Stein believes it’s a lock Iguodala returns to finish his career with the warriors. If iguodala returned on the minimum or just part of the salary cap exception they’ll have the opportunity to add at least 2 significant role players in free agency.
If you add all that up you get a team with Steph klay draymond looney and perhaps paschall and/or Poole slotted into the rotation. Plus whatever they get for Russell. Plus a top 7 draft pick. Plus iguodala returning. Plus another veteran in free agency. Plus whatever they can get for the trade exception. With all those tools at Myers’ disposal it shouldn’t be all that difficult to surround Klay and Steph with much more useful role players than they were planning to go into this season with.
Burks would get them a 2nd round pick from a contender if he keeps performing well. Contenders don’t value late second round picks. With Stien they might be able to bring back some cash trade money.
BLB, reading the following excerpt from the article on the warriors review, and reading your thorough post above, I have some questions I hope you can answer. One, it reads they’re over the tax limit even though they’re hard capped. So they’ll be taxed but you say they’re not getting taxed. Are you correct or is the article? Two, my addition says they’ll have almost $30 mill available with the iggy exception and all the other exceptions added, but I’m not sure if I’m understanding all of the exception business. Three, do you think they’ll try to get a 2024 first round pick to replace the one they’ll likely lose to Memphis. Thanks.
Salary cap situation:
Remained over the cap.
Hard-capped; approximately $375K below hard cap.
Carrying approximately $138.55MM in salary.
Approximately $5.93MM over the tax line.
$5.28MM of mid-level exception still available (used $3.97MM on Willie Cauley-Stein, Alen Smailagic, and Eric Paschall).
Full bi-annual exception ($3.62MM) still available.
Note: Due to hard cap, the Warriors would have to reduce salary elsewhere in order to use full MLE and/or BAE.
Five traded player exceptions available; largest TPE ($17.19MM) expires 7/7/20.
My $30 mil estimate is based on the “five traded player exceptions available (it has a link). Those 5 add up to about $22 mil and the $5.28 mil and the $3.62 mil in the excerpt I posted add up to over $30 mil. Am I doing this correctly. Here’s the trade exception link:
Golden State Warriors
Amount: $17,185,185
Obtained: Andre Iguodala (Grizzlies)
Expires: 7/7/20
Amount: $869,699
Obtained: Kevin Durant (Nets)
Expires: 7/7/20
Amount: $407,257
Obtained: Damian Jones (Hawks)
Expires: 7/8/20
Amount: $1,597,100
Obtained: Shabazz Napier (Timberwolves)
Expires: 7/8/20
Amount: $1,597,100
Obtained: Treveon Graham (Timberwolves)
Expires: 7/8/20
Those trade exceptions can’t be combined, so it’s extremely unlikely that all of them will be used. Practically speaking, only the $17MM+ Iguodala one is a real asset.
Regarding the Warriors’ tax situation, they’re technically still in the tax this season since there’s a gap between the tax line ($132,627,000) and the hard cap ($138,928,000). In theory, they could make trades to sneak below the tax line, but in reality it’ll be very hard for them to do so, so they’ll likely be a taxpayer again this season.
The only way the Warriors’ future will be any brighter than it is this season will be if Steph Curry can stay healthy enough to help the team.
Even though he missed just 13 games last season, Curry missed 31 two seasons ago and will miss a lot more than that this season.
You keep harping on this absurd talking point. We get it, you hate the warriors because the sad excuse for a team known as the rockets just can’t beat them. They barely won tonight against a rookie/g league warriors team. Cool-aid swishing fool.
Ha!
I second this ^
Houston fans are still bitter about watching their chances at a championship is now over. No way Houston wins a championship with their bad defense. Rockets are a middle road playoff team and will need for other teams like the warriors go through injuries to win a title.
WCS and Burks!!?? Scrubs!
Who cares what they think!
But they are valuable trade assets, are they not?
Since the team is hard-capped they won’t be able to dump their salaries in a trade though. That will also make trading Russell a lot harder.
They not only can dump those salaries, the hard val situation makes it more likely they will try to do so. Dumping WCS’s above the minimum contract in particular would allow them to sign multiple young G league players or convert Lee or Bowman to 15 man roster contracts. Since they already have an open roster spot I’d be surprised if they didn’t look to move WCS, Burks and GR3 to playoff teams with injuries or depth issues for small draft assets. Feels more likely they’ll move Russell in the offseason when not only is the hard cap lifted but they’ll also have a 17 million dollar trade exception to play with, but it wouldnt be all that difficult to build a trade that works this year in salary in spite of the salary cap.
They have to somehow clear spots for bowman and/or lee or they’ll lose them. I think criss is a goner (nonguaranteed contract)
Interesting the Windhorst wrote so much into the Warriors trading Dlo once he become eligible in December. He doesn’t exactly seem like a good fit for that team and would be so much better on other teams and I think getting back a first and a role player will be an easy get.
Chicago should actually make a move for DLo. It sounds like a weird fit but they have lots of maybe pieces but Dlo would be a real star for this team. Plus if you actually want to make a play for AD in free agency then your going to need a star to convince him.
Other teams that should be looking hard into Dlo should be the Pelicans, TWolves, Chicago, Pacers and Miami.
Dlo to bulls? For who? Bulls have no cap.so they should send zach and opj.zach had acl injuried when he played for minny and now still landing with one foot after jumping.wariors wont do that.opj very inconsistent.im bulls fans. I like ur idea but bulls have no good player for wariors.
DLo to the Wolves is my bet.
You’re probably right, but for who?
I think the bulls have a few interesting pieces. Zach LaVine is an instant offence player, only 24, 6’6” combo guard but probably more of a shooting guard now. Hes good for over 20 a night and still has a high ceiling in terms of development. Otto Porter is there as a 3 and D wing, he occasionally catches ire and has really good nights. He would be good for a SF to replace Durant and play like Barnes did. Porter is also only 26 still.
Maybe the Warriors would be interested in Thad Young or Wendell Carter. End of the day I know Carter is young and ideally you’d want to keep him but if you were able to give him up for Dlo I would. Even Coby White who only just got drafted, he’s off to as low start shooting wise 36% FG and 23% 3P.
Ideally I’d think you give up Porter plus 1 of either White or Carter and then a pair of second rounders.
GSW get back the 3 and D wing and a young player which resembles a high draft pick.
Do u watching bulls games? Opj suck this season.very low %fg.zach never play defense.score 20 but allowing opponent score 30.as bulls fans i want both of them gone.i dont want my bulls trade out thad or wendell.if warior realy want to make a trade with bulls for dlo, i hope they take zach and opj.
Actually the best bet would be to trade Russell on December 15th to the Wolves for Teague, Culver straight up. If they can talk them out of pick(s) it’s a bonus.
Ride out the year in development mode and get a nice 2020 pick.
You think the Wolves would give up Culver now? They moved up in the draft and gave up Dario saric to get him.?
5 straight trips to the finals.. steph, klay & dray deserve this break, honestly.
Yes Wolves will do this deal in a heartbeat. Because it would make KAT very happy. Reasonable enough salary for 4 years. Gives them a Big 3 or Wiggins even more expendable to further build on.
For all the posts, especially Kenley who usually is legit, please read the following excerpt from the story above:
“In addition, the first-round pick the Warriors owe Brooklyn in 2020 is top-20 protected and seems in no danger of conveying. It could wind up high in the lottery and provide another building block for the future. Also, Golden State holds a $17MM trade exception from the Andre Iguodala deal that doesn’t expire until July 7, and the franchise has the top source of revenue in the league thanks to a new arena”
Kenley, they traded a PROTECTED first round pick. If it’s top 20 they keep it. And if they get something high for Russell?
The future looks pretty good.