- The Golden State Warriors won 44 games last season but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2023 playoffs in six games
- Jordan Poole was traded to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul
- The Warriors’ projected starting lineup for next season consists of five All-Stars
The Golden State Warriors weren’t able to defend their title last season. After winning 48 games in the regular season, the Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in seven games, setting up a second-round matchup against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Warriors had home-court advantage versus the Lakers, but they weren’t able to beat LeBron and Co. Los Angeles defeated Golden State in six games, handing the Warriors their first playoff series loss before the NBA Finals in the Steve Kerr era, which began in 2014-15.
Golden State will have a new starting lineup next season after trading Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul. The Warriors’ projected starting lineup will consist of veterans and All-Stars.
Point Guards
Starter: Stephen Curry
Reserves: Cory Joseph, Gary Payton II
Stephen Curry averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists last season for the Warriors while shooting 49.3% from the field, 42.7% from beyond the arc and 91.5% from the free-throw line. The two-time MVP still believes he’s in the prime of his career despite being 35 years old.
“I still feel like I’m in the prime of my career,” Curry told PBS in July. “In a sense of what I’m able to accomplish. Just out there and what the future may hold, trying to achieve, hopefully, win more championships and push the envelope as far as I can.”
Curry has career averages of 24.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists with the Warriors. He has made nine All-Star teams and nine All-NBA teams and won two regular-season MVPs, four championships, and one Finals MVP.
There are a lot of analysts who believe the Warriors will not win another ring in the Curry era, so it will be fascinating to see if Curry can prove his doubters wrong again.
Shooting Guards
Starter: Chris Paul
Reserve: Brandin Podziemski
The Warriors traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul, who is one of the best guards in NBA history. Paul is expected to start for Golden State next season, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Paul averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists last season for the Phoenix Suns while shooting 44.0% from the floor, 37.5% from beyond the arc and 83.1% from the free-throw line. The Suns traded Paul to the Wizards in the Bradley Beal trade and then Washington dealt him to Golden State. Paul was on a plane to New York when Phoenix traded him. He was then playing basketball at his gym in North Carolina when the Warriors acquired him for Poole.
Paul is 38 years old and no longer a superstar in the NBA. However, he can focus on passing with the Warriors since Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins will be the primary scorers.
Small Forwards
Starter: Klay Thompson
Reserve: Moses Moody
Klay Thompson appeared in 69 games for the Warriors last season. The four-time champion averaged 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 43.6% from the field, 41.2% from beyond the arc, and 87.9% from the free-throw line.
Thompson finished the 2023 postseason with averages of 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. However, he shot only 38.8% overall and 36.8% from 3 in 13 games versus the Kings and Lakers.
The Warriors signed Thompson to a five-year, $189.9 million contract in the summer of 2019. Thompson will make $43.2 million next season. He has career averages of 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The Washington State product has made five All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams, and one All-Defensive team with the Warriors.
Power Forwards
Starter: Andrew Wiggins
Reserves: Jonathan Kuminga, Dario Saric
Andrew Wiggins helped the Warriors win the 2022 title over the Boston Celtics in six games. He signed a four-year, $109 million contract extension in October 2022. The Kansas product will make $24.3 million next season.
The 2014-15 Rookie of the Year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wiggins appeared in 37 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field, 39.6% from 3, and 61.1% from the free-throw line.
Wiggins, 28, has career averages of 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists with the Timberwolves and Warriors.
Centers
Starter: Draymond Green
Reserves: Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis
Draymond Green re-signed with the Warriors this offseason on a massive four-year, $100 million contract. Although Green declined his 2023-24 player option with Golden State, the former Defensive Player of the Year was never going to leave the Warriors.
Green averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists last season while shooting 52.7% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc, and 71.3% from the free-throw line. The future Hall of Famer was seeking a contract that lined up with Stephen Curry’s in terms of length. Curry can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026, which is why some people thought Green would sign a three-year deal.
However, the fourth year of Green’s new contract is a player option.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob wants Curry, Green, and Klay Thompson to retire with the franchise. The Dubs have won four championships and played in six Finals in the Curry-Green-Thompson era.
“Certainly, we’d like Steph, Draymond, and Klay to retire as Warriors,” Lacob told Madeline Kenney of the Mercury News in July. “That is my goal, our goal, and I think it’s a good likelihood that’ll happen.”
While anything can happen in the NBA, all signs point toward Thompson, Curry, and Green spending their entire careers in Golden State.
