For a long time, fans have been hoping for another kumbaya moment between Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors that would bring Thompson back to the Bay Area.
After all, it wouldn’t have been the first time fans had to navigate rumors that Thompson was going elsewhere, with the Los Angeles Lakers looking like a perpetual threat to finally release him and end basketball’s first true golden era in the US. wider Oakland region. /San Francisco area.
The Lakers reportedly tried to sign the veteran All-Star, who is widely considered the second-best shooter of all time. Still, of all the teams that persuaded Thompson to pack his bags and seek new adventures, it was the Dallas Mavericks who closed the door on one of the best backcourts in NBA history.
It took $50 million over three seasons, plus the allure of playing with Luka Dončić, to pry him away. But they managed to move him away, which left the Warriors with a sudden identity crisis.
How do you replace someone who helped you win four championships and was an integral part of your franchise for 13 years?
As we learned, the Warriors found the right answer: not you.
Instead, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. sought a collective solution to replace Thompson — or rather, Thompson’s idea.
Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton are now Warriors and both are expected to play significant roles. Hield, one could argue, might be the only guard in the league who has the desire to take on an offensive role similar to Thompson, given his confidence and shooting ability. If Thompson and Stephen Curry were the best shooters in the league, Hield was never far behind, often matching them in volume or percentage in recent years.
The 31-year-old is a sharpshooter who has connected on 39.2 percent of his 8.7 3-point attempts since the 2019-20 season, mostly off the catch, which will suit the Warriors well.
With Hield taking over Thompson’s offensive responsibilities, Melton will take care of people on the other side. Melton’s defense has been a little more effective than Thompson’s lately due to the latter’s ACL and Achilles injuries, which have robbed him of some movement and quickness.
Essentially, the duo of Hield and Melton has a good chance of providing the Warriors with depth they didn’t have before, to the point where it could be reasonably argued that Golden State could be better than they were last season.
The franchise also signed Kyle Anderson, one of the league’s most reliable reserve forwards, who can mimic Draymond Green’s actions when the All-Star is off the court and protect the Warriors from big drops.
Overall, the Warriors came out of this summer better than expected. For a franchise that places a big emphasis on competitiveness, this is good news.
A larger, overarching question remains, however. One that even the most dedicated Warriors fan will recognize is looming over this franchise like a Jumbotron with cables hanging loose.
Where, exactly, are the Warriors headed?
Melton, Hield and Anderson are league veterans who have been around for a while. No one can be classified as a young player anymore, which brings up some potentially uncomfortable long-term discussions about the Warriors’ young core of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The organization finally saw Kuminga, and to a lesser extent Moody, break out after years of limited production. Podziemski started running. Even Jackson-Davis, a second-rounder in 2023, played 68 games and produced per-minute numbers that resembled those of a starter.
It would make sense, then, to rely even more on this youth movement. Instead, it appears the idea of providing Curry with playable veterans is the path the Warriors have chosen.
While there is no right or wrong in this situation, as the franchise clearly wants to appease one of the best players in NBA history, the Warriors will eventually have to make a decision about the future.
If Curry sticks around for another three or four years, the entire young core mentioned above will no longer be considered young, and in that case, a full reset will be a challenge. If the Warriors decide to go the draft route in late 2020, it will take at least two or three years for any rookie to reach a level where they are in line with Kuminga, Moody, Podziemski and Jackson-Davis in production and influence.
At that point, Kuminga and Moody will be in the final stages of their second contracts and could theoretically become flight risks, with several clubs looking to make real moves for them once they hit the market.
If that happens, the Warriors would need to hit the big red reset button once again, which sets back a proper rebuild by years, potentially pushing the organization into the 2030s before finding a new foothold.
Perhaps, though, that is the price of enjoying a dynasty that lasted nearly a decade.
The seamless transition that every prospect hopes to have, moving from the elite core to the young core and reaching the top of the NBA mountain once again – all within a brief span of just a few years – has never worked. Not unless we’re inclined to include the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s, when the league had about eight teams. And we’re not inclined to include them, as the NBA is now a 30-team juggernaut that could see two more joining the party soon.
However, as cliché as it may sound, the Warriors find themselves at a crossroads, with map in one hand and compass in the other, and Stephen Curry’s legacy clouding their judgment.
Regardless of which path the Warriors choose, all anyone can hope for is their commitment to seeing it through.
