The Golden State Warriors have gone from a team on a winning streak to one struggling to find the right approach to stay competitive in the Western Conference.
Many around the league are questioning if the team’s front office and ownership are willing to make the right moves to give four-time champions Stephen Curry and Draymond Green a chance at a fifth title.
Surprisingly, Green agrees with how the Warriors have managed the situation. Even though they were linked to potential trades for players like Paul George over the summer, they’ve stuck with their current plan instead of making a big push for immediate success.
“The beautiful part about being in the space that we’re in is, Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and myself all disagree with mortgaging off the future of this organization, saying that we’re going for it right now,” Green told Yahoo Sports on Thursday night after the Warriors’ 107-104 win over Detroit.
“Bad teams do that. Bad organizations do that. We’re not neither one.”
On Thursday, Curry had one of his worst games of the season, shooting just 5-for-21 and missing 12 of his 14 three-pointers. However, reserves Gui Santos and Lindy Waters III stepped up, combining for seven three-pointers, 24 points, and seven rebounds, sparking a celebration after the game.
The Warriors had once promoted the “two timelines” approach, where they kept their veteran stars while hoping younger players could contribute and keep them in contention. The team won the 2022 title with key contributions from Jordan Poole, who was a surprise addition to the young core they planned to develop.
But Poole was traded for Chris Paul, and James Wiseman, the second overall pick in 2020, didn’t succeed in Golden State or anywhere else so far. Moses Moody has shown potential but hasn’t been able to secure a steady spot in the rotation.
The only player who’s really shown potential is Jonathan Kuminga, but even he has had trouble fitting perfectly into Kerr’s offensive system.
Green believes in Kuminga’s potential and even stepped down from his usual role for a few games to help the 22-year-old adjust. If the Warriors want to make a major trade, it will likely need to include Kuminga, as the team has not agreed on a contract extension with him yet.
“So for us, if something is going to happen, it needs to be the right thing,” Green said. “We’re not going to jump and make the wrong decision because we panicked. That’s how you set your organization back five to seven years.”
With the new collective bargaining agreement being very strict, teams are discouraged from making big-money moves, particularly if they are already in the second apron. This makes it difficult to make big trades without facing penalties.
It seems Green understands the limitations the Warriors face moving forward, which could be why they are not heavily pursuing a trade for Jimmy Butler right now. The Warriors’ only move so far has been trading with the Brooklyn Nets for Dennis Schröder, whose contract ends after this season.
“We’re still going to compete at the highest level,” Green said. “We’re still going to do all we can to win, but I don’t know a single person that’s played in the NBA for a long time that won every year. So you don’t auction off your future because you’re not winning in a said year or two.”
After starting 12-3, the Warriors went 3-12, bringing their record back to .500. Green is still performing well, shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc and averaging almost six assists and six rebounds.
However, he admitted it’s been hard to find his usual intensity and mentioned he’s getting back to his best form after a rough patch. Even after the win in Detroit, he didn’t want to claim everything was fine — it was just one positive step.
“I told them, it’s all my fault,” he said after Thursday’s game. “I got to get my edge back, and then we will have our edge back, you know? So when you have those times where you need to address the team, if you can’t address where you’re failing, nobody’s listening to you.”
Despite some struggles, Green believes the team needs to continue building rather than make rash decisions.
“You have to continue to build. And for us, that will always be the focus,” Green said. “It’ll never be, ‘Something’s going wrong. Make the dumbest move you can make.’ We’re not that organization.”
He imagines a future where he and Curry retire, but still remain a strong part of the team’s success.
“When I’m done, when Steph is done, I want us to come back, when Steve’s done, I want us to come back, sit on the court and talk so much s*** to everybody,” Green said. “Because our organization, our team, is that good.”
