Baron Davis, the former Warriors veteran, shared his opinion on what Golden State needs to do to be considered genuine title contenders for this season. The two-time All-Star Davis recently appeared on Paul George’s podcast and expressed what he felt about the direction the Warriors are headed in.
“You would have wished, you know, Klay was a part of that too. But having Jimmy, I think, gives them a real opportunity to compete for a Western Conference title. Now, it’s just a matter of what young talent or who you can find that can become that X factor.”
“Because we know who Steph is. We know Steph is gonna Steph, he’s gonna cook. We know who Dray is; he’s going to always finish top tier on the defense. We know Jimmy Butler is just dangerous. But they’re older.”
“Who’s that young dude that’s coming in the locker room like, “Yo, I like got this. Just give me, tell me what y’all need me to do, and pour into me.” And I don’t think the Warriors have figured that out yet, right? Because it’s still like, you know, you got Kuminga, you got Pod, you got Moody, you know, and so you got a lot of good, solid young players. Now you need that X factor.”
“Like when Boston went and got Derrick White, it was like, who is this dude? But all along, he has been killing. So, you’ve got to go find somebody who’s like a valuable asset to this team. Like the year you won it with Jordan Poole, he was the X factor. If he gets hot, ah sh**! More people are hot out there.”
The Warriors have had a slow start to the offseason, but ended up losing a three-time NBA champion in Kevon Looney to the Pelicans. Moreover, Jonathan Kuminga, their young disgruntled starlet, is still walking a tight rope for his career with the Warriors as his future remains in peril.
Additionally, they are considered among the favorites to land Bradley Beal (32 years old) or LeBron James (40 years old) if their specific situations are sorted out with their current teams (if Beal agrees on a buyout and James asks for a trade).
To an outsider of the Warriors, it seems like the Warriors are focused on solving their problems through veteran solutions instead of looking to build on young talent. Even Al Horford, who will likely soon be confirmed as the Warriors’ new center to replace Looney, is considering retirement before making his decision on going to San Francisco or not.
Therefore, the Warriors are seemingly going all in on their championship window, which seems to be closing rapidly with every season and their aging core of Stephen Curry (37 years old), Jimmy Butler (35 years old), and Draymond Green (35 years old). Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga’s future is undecided, and the only two young stars with proven potential are Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody.
Just like the Lakers are looking to clear their salary sheets by 2026 or 2027, maybe the Warriors are also preparing themselves for a full rebuild after the point when Curry, Green, and Butler eventually announce their retirement, which could be within the next two or three years as well.
It won’t be far-fetched to conclude that the Warriors’ title chances seem to be standing on thin ice after the next two years, and a full rebuild is approaching.
