Ranking the Warriors’ pressing NBA free agency needs by position

Ranking the Warriors’ pressing NBA free agency needs by position originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

From the outside looking in, the Warriors are entering the opening of NBA free agency on Sunday having already taken two steps back among their The Paul-George-Klay-Thompson Dilemma this could become a real problem for the front office.

In either case Warriors trading or releasing Chris Paulthey were always going to have 11 players under contract entering free agency.

“We have some vacancies to fill. We have some needs to fill,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said Thursday after the NBA draft. “Let’s turn the page on the draft to free agency and see what we can do.”

Some vacancies are more important than others for the Warriors to fill. Some needs are also more urgent than others. Following the draft with work to be done, here are the Warriors’ free agency needs, ranked by position and skill set.

5. Reserve point guard

Whatever your feelings about Paul’s season with the Warriors, after years of being one of the organization’s biggest rivals, Steve Kerr has consistently praised Paul for giving him his best minutes without Steph Curry at the position. Paul will leave. Once again there is a gap here on the Warriors roster.

The only other option on the Warriors’ roster right now is someone who is a true candidate to be their starting point guard: Brandin Podziemski.

The 21-year-old ranked fourth among rookies in total assists last season, behind Scoot Henderson, Keyonte George and Victor Wembanyama. Henderson totaled 212 turnovers, George turned it over 188 times and Wembanyama had 260 turnovers, just 14 fewer than his 274 assists.

Podziemski turned the ball over 88 times. The All-Rookie First Team selection also recorded 273 assists. He ranked fourth on the Warriors behind Paul, Draymond Green and Curry.

Paul struggled to bring the ball against the defensive pressure. Podziemski has already shown that he can handle this heat. But he also played both as a forward and as a point guard. Even though Podziemski is handling the ball more often in his second season, the Warriors have a hole to fill here.

4. Defensive stopper

The Warriors had a defensive rating of 113.5 when Green played last season. His defensive rating increased to 121.1 in 27 games without him. Unsurprisingly, even at age 34, Golden State’s defense still relies on Green’s acumen and availability.

That doesn’t discredit the fact that the Warriors’ defense was consistently atrocious last season. Andrew Wiggins, the player who was supposed to block the other team’s leading scorer, had a defensive rating of 116.3 – the worst among Warriors regulars. Thompson was around at 116.1.

Gary Payton II’s 108.9 defensive rating led the Warriors. Payton also played in 44 games last season and 66 over the past two seasons.

The Warriors prioritized a defensive threat in Virginia’s Reece Beekman for a two-way contract immediately after the NBA draft. They still need more.

3. Wing Depth

It’s a side league, and the Warriors are struggling a little, but they still need more. Wiggins is the starting forward at the moment, although he could be on the move. Is Jonathan Kuminga 3 or 4? Moody was more of a wing than a point guard last season.

The goal once again would be to find a winger who has size and can stretch the floor. Or better known as “Otto Porter Jr.” model. Replicating Porter’s production in the 2022 championship season despite him being in the final stages of his health has been difficult for the Warriors.

One monitoring option is Tobias Harris. The veteran forward would be the Warriors’ latest reputation experiment like the Wiggins trade. Harris’ reputation fell significantly after he failed to fulfill major contracts. He’s also 6-foot-3, can play both forward positions and can hit 3-pointers.

His build and what Harris theoretically does on the court are the type of player the Warriors could be looking for here.

2. Big Man

Whether in the backcourt, frontcourt or on the wings, the Warriors need to get bigger. They need more size. There is no escaping this reality.

Trayce Jackson-Davis supplanted Kevon Looney as the Warriors’ starting center at the end of the regular season. The 24-year-old had a great debut season and is currently the Warriors’ starter. At the very least, he has to be part of a central rotation.

Looney’s US$8 million contract was secured, which could still be part of a commercial package. The veteran has a lot of value on the court and in the locker room. Adding Quinten Post, 24, in the second round of the draft gave the Warriors their only true 7-footer and a big man who can shoot.

The signing of Dario Saric did not go as planned. Maybe Post can add a little Nemanja Bjelica to his game. There’s still a lot to be desired here at a spot in the cast that always seems to have some kind of question mark.

1. Top scorer

George opting out of his player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent will almost certainly cost the nine-time All-Star more than the Warriors can afford. Thompson’s time coming to an end as a Warrior is almost inevitable at this point.

Having an 0-for-10 donut like Thompson’s final showing can’t erase the fact that the Warriors will miss his scoring and shooting, or the fact that the Warriors need a true second scoring option so badly. They’re not finding one on the free agent market. A true number 2 can only be obtained through negotiation.

And. Go get a bucket. The Warriors need to study how they can replicate Jordan Poole’s scoring ability in 2021-22. Thompson was the second-leading scorer and made 268 threes last season in what was considered a bad year. Wiggins (91) and Podziemski (90) combined to make 181 threes. Moody (72) and Kuminga (53) made 125 between the two.

Mike Dunleavy traded for Lindy Waters III from Oklahoma City on the morning of the second round of the draft, and the 26-year-old can shoot from deep. For a team that revolutionized 3-point shooting, the Warriors need a lot more shooting.

Especially in the case of Klay’s departure.

Unless they make a big play, the Warriors are counting on Kuminga to make a monumental leap and become Curry’s secondary scorer. Finding one in free agency is very unlikely. A scorer, a shooter or ideally both should be at the top of the priority list.

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