Former NBA champ Jeff Teague believes the Golden State Warriors need to make massive changes to become championship contenders this season. The biggest change he wants them to make is to trade away their younger players for an experienced center.
Not only did they fall short of beating the Orlando Magic earlier this week, but they’ve now given up back-to-back games by losing to the Miami Heat, 96-110.
After watching Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler put up solid performances in a losing effort against the Orlando Magic, Teague offered his suggestion on the Club 520 podcast.
“I wish the Warriors would just go gather up the young boys and just get another star. Just round them up and be like, ‘Let’s get him.’ I don’t care about the Warriors’ future, but Steph’s still playing at a high level for the next three years, I assume… “
Curry had 34 points, nine assists, and three rebounds, shooting 52.2% from the field and 46.7% from the three-point line. Butler had 33 points, four assists, and seven rebounds. Draymond Green was the only other Warrior with double-digit points.
Their entire bench combined scored 22 points. So clearly, the Warriors are heavily dependent on their veteran starters to play well if they need to succeed. But at this juncture of their careers, both Curry and Butler deserve some support from their team.
Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski were supposed to step it up this year. They were looked at as the emerging stars who could build their future with the Warriors. Podziemski’s even on record saying he wishes to take over from Curry. But both of them have failed to take up the responsibility and earn that spot.
“I don’t see the young guys they got. I don’t think they’re the future of the franchise. Like, when Steph leaves, I don’t think Kuminga is the guy. I don’t think whoever else is over there (is the guy).”
Life after Curry’s retirement is not something Warriors fans like to think about. But they also don’t want him to waste his final years with an inconsistent and sometimes inadequate roster.
If the current younger lot is unable to consistently be that support system, they should be traded away for a young, dependable center, since that is their biggest requirement right now.
Al Horford is too old to be their number one center. He won’t be able to start and end the game due to the minutes restriction. The other one they’ve had for the longest time is Draymond Green. But even he has not been able to consistently provide the defensive rim presence, and he also ends up being in mismatches in the paint against other bigger centers in the league.
So the Warriors should definitely look at their options. One way would be to create a trade package full of young players.
They could also at Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets. This emerging defensive force will give the Warriors the defensive presence they need for shot-blocking and restricting points in the paint. Other younger and more affordable centers include Mark Williams,
But if the Warriors wish to trade for a big-ticket name, they’ll have to give up more than Kuminga or Podziemski. For instance, one blockbuster deal the Warriors’ front office could pull off would be getting the Mavericks’ new star, Anthony Davis, to Golden State.
To execute this, they’ll need to trade away Draymond Green due to his salary. Adding Davis’s giant $54 million cap hit to the payroll implies the Warriors will need serious cap space if they want to bring in a big name.
Out of the three veterans with massive contracts for the Warriors, Green is the one who will be the best fit for this trade-off. Trading away Green’s $25 million cap hit looks like the most ideal situation. But the issue with Davis is his consistency, something the Warriors are already struggling with right now.
So, even if it looks really good on paper that the former Lakers center will get to play with Curry and Butler, it is the most unlikely occurrence out of those mentioned.
