Sources: Warriors’ Next Steps After Failed Lauri Markkanen Trade Pursuit But In Serious Talk To Sign Another Top Talent After Huge Contract Rejected To say changes have been made to the Golden State Warriors this offseason would be a major understatement and a disservice to what Klay Thompson meant to this franchise.
For the first time since 2010-11 season, Thompson won’t be a member of the Warriors, as he joined the Dallas Mavericks in free agency after four different championship runs with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
A new era of Warriors basketball has begun, yet things seem very different in the Bay Area after the organization’s failed trade pursuits of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this summer. If there is one thing known about Golden State across the league, it’s that owner Joe Lacob is always willing to do what it takes to put his team in the championship mix.
That was proven over the last several years when the Warriors owned the largest luxury tax bills in league history. Ultimately, winning four championships and making the NBA Finals six times in an eight-year span tends to remove the headache of these salary restraints. However,
a different mindset has originated from the Warriors’ braintrust. Instead of going all out to acquire either George or Markkanen in a massive blockbuster trade this offseason, Golden State has begun looking ahead to the future, one that doesn’t necessarily revolve around Curry or Green. The Warriors were heavily interested in George prior to him opting out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers,
league sources told ClutchPoints. In fact, a deal was proposed to the Clippers that didn’t include either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski, two of the Warriors’ high-potential young talents. While Los Angeles did not want to lose George for nothing in free agency,
they also didn’t hold much desire to trade him to a rival in the same division for anything less than maximum value. Kuminga was a player the Clippers wanted in a potential trade for George, which is why talks froze and the nine-time All-Star now resides on the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster. What stands out about the Warriors is Curry will be turning 37 years old and Green will be 35 during the 2024-25 season.
Draymond has already hinted that he could retire at the conclusion of his contract after the 2026-27 season. There is no telling how much longer Curry has left in the tank, as the best shooter to ever exist is still playing at an MVP-like level. This organization still wants to win with Curry and Green leading the charge,
which is why they have been aggressive in the trade market and in free agency this offseason, even though they stopped short of putting all their chips on the table. The additions of Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton,
and Kyle Anderson certainly upgrade the Warriors’ lack of depth from the 2023-24 season, yet there still seems to be a hole to fill. Whether or not the Warriors have a true second scorer next to Curry is a major question mark that won’t be answered until the new season begins. That was the driving force behind Golden State’s pursuit of Markkanen, a player who would not have come at a cheap price.
