The Golden State Warriors were somewhat of an afterthought this season because nobody shockingly expected much from them after such an inconsistent season. They finished the year 6th in the Western Conference with a 44-38 record with inconsistency on both ends of the floor, and the Draymond Green incident has played a massive role in team chemistry. The team’s best scorers have done well on paper, as Stephen Curry posted 29.5 PPG on 49.2% FG and 42.6% 3-PT FG. Klay Thompson did well as the second option by averaging 21.9 PPG on 41.0% 3-PT FG, and despite his postseason struggles at times, he showed enough to be a solid third option going forward.
However, the Warriors were not a championship team, as Draymond Green readily admitted. Golden State finished the season ranking 10th in offensive rating, 3rd in PPG, and 1st in pace, so they found ways to score quite well. However, defense, size, and versatility have been the major problem all year for the franchise. Obviously, Golden State wants to contend for the title and they should be looking for ways to improve the roster at all costs. The Warriors ranked 17th in defensive rating and 21st in OPPG, meaning they need a two-way star who can bring size and versatility to truly maximize the presence of Curry and Thompson.
To acquire another superstar player, the Warriors have to offer a massive package. Luckily for the franchise, there are quite a few players and picks that will be wanted by the teams who have superstar players. Here is the assortment of trade assets the Golden State Warriors have to offer with the intention of creating a dominant Big Three alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. While not each trade will require all of the trade assets, some of them will.
Trade Assets
Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, 2023 First-Round Pick, 2025 First-Round Pick
With the trade assets clear, it is time to go through each of the superstars the Golden State Warriors can acquire to create one of the most dominant Big Threes of all time. By ranking them in order of fit with the Warriors’ style of play, any one of these five superstars would guarantee the championship heading to Golden State in the 2023-23 NBA season.
Inside-Outside Stardom With Joel Embiid
Luckily for the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers are not looking too great right now and will not convince anyone that they are legitimate title contenders if James Harden departs for Houston. Joel Embiid won the 2023 MVP award because of his dominance with the 76ers during the regular season, but another playoff disappointment means there could be changes coming to Philly and the player himself. If the Warriors swoop in and offer two first-round picks with Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Jonathan Kuminga, Philly might take a look and pull the trigger and send superstar Joel Embiid to San Francisco.
No doubt, Joel Embiid with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would be almost unfair. The center averaged 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.7 BPG this season already and finally tasted individual victory with the MVP award. Embiid can do it all on both ends of the floor, especially when surrounded by arguably the two greatest shooters of all time. The team will have to change their philosophy if they do acquire Joel Embiid, but Curry is unselfish enough to feed him down low and will be willing to do so. Curry and Embiid become one of the best little-big duos in NBA history since Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, except that they will also have Klay spotting up as the third option. Especially if Draymond remains, the Warriors would be highly dominant and win the 2023-24 NBA title and possibly another title or two after that.
Kawhi Leonard Becomes The “New Kevin Durant”
Kawhi Leonard is arguably a top-5 player in the world when healthy and a player who needs players to make shots around him to give him a chance to win a title for a franchise. If any franchise wants to risk trading for a franchise star in Kawhi Leonard, it is the Warriors. Kawhi Leonard is still in his prime at 31 years old and is clearly a more dominant two-way player than Wiggins while being a more capable scorer than Poole, meaning Golden State could take another step forward with a blockbuster deal of this caliber.
A lineup of Curry, Thompson, Leonard, Green, and Looney will likely return to the Finals and win it all as soon as next year. This will be the same team as the 2017 and 2018 Warriors with Kevin Durant, except with slightly more defense. Leonard might have some attitude issues in terms of being willing to sit out many games to “rest,” but his unselfishness and dedication to defense mean the Warriors can actually win a championship and be the favorites. Wiggins and Poole have been solid servants for Golden State, but neither of them can hold a candle to Leonard when healthy, so the Warriors should throw the bank at Los Angeles to make this happen.
A Unique Big Man Becomes A Splash Brother
The Golden State Warriors can swoop in and acquire one of the most talented big men in the NBA and arguably the best shooter of his size. Karl-Anthony Towns with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would be an incredible duo, and the deal for him is very realistic. The big man averaged 20.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG this season and is one of the best shooting bigs of all-time (39.5% 3-PT FG over his career). Towns can do it all on both ends of the floor, especially when surrounded by arguably the two greatest shooters of all time. Even if teams throw everything at Golden State to stop the threes, it could be difficult to handle another sharpshooter who stands 6’11” tall.
The Warriors will have to change their philosophy if they do acquire Towns, although the big man will be able to adapt because of his shooting. With a dominant big man, the team must let him go to work with his touches. Curry is unselfish enough to feed him the ball and will be willing to do so, and he will be willing to act like Klay and accept not always being the number one scoring option. Curry and Towns become one of the best little-big duos in NBA history on the offensive side of the floor because neither player cannot be stopped in single coverage in Golden State’s system.
The King Gets One Last Run
LeBron James made it clear in the past how fond he is of Stephen Curry, with the prospect of him playing with the greatest shooter ever in his mind. What if The King would actually get that chance? LeBron James is an excellent playmaker, and his ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates is unparalleled. This would be particularly valuable for the Warriors, as Curry and Thompson are both excellent shooters but can sometimes struggle to create their own shots when the three-point shot isn’t falling. James would make the shooters even more deadly, and we have already seen the possibility of this in a massive three-team trade that creates three new title-contending rosters.
Without a doubt, James’ experience and leadership would be invaluable to the Warriors, who already have a strong team culture but could benefit from the addition of a player with James’ pedigree. The King will create easy scoring chances for Golden State and also use his size to add versatility as an inside presence, something the Warriors absolutely did not have. Draymond Green’s inability to score inside and Kevon Looney’s limitations meant Golden State had to live and die by the three even more, but LeBron would make the team far more deadly.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Creates The Best Big Three Ever
The Golden State Warriors already have two stars on their team and a winning culture in place and they need another star player to get back on top. Steph and Klay have pretty much carried the team over the whole season, and the team picking it up at the end of the year meant that they had the highest chance alongside the Los Angeles Lakers to get to the Western Conference Finals. Even if they lost, Golden State was impressive in the playoffs at times but needed a new franchise cornerstone to dominate both ends of the court. The Warriors must go after Giannis Antetokounmpo, the game’s best two-way player in the regular season, in a blockbuster trade that will shake up the entire NBA landscape.
He is a force of nature, having averaged 31.1 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 5.7 APG while leading the Bucks to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Giannis is the greatest physical specimen in the game right now and affects the game both offensively and defensively. He is not only a two-time MVP but the Defensive Player of the Year Award as well. Giving him the two greatest shooters ever would be incredible to watch since Giannis will be the lockdown defender for the Warriors, an imposing inside force, and the player that runs the break or finishes on the break as well. With The Greek Freak attacking the paint and giving his shooters open looks, Golden State likely wins another two or three more championships before Stephen Curry’s age catches up to him.
