The Golden State Warriors are heading into the 2023 campaign after a season that brought them success in the form of another NBA title. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were the Warriors’ typical contributors, while newcomers and uprisings such as Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins also played crucial roles in the victory. The Warriors will be looking to defend their crown next season, and the Western Conference should take note since the defending champs will be back to defend their title with a vengeance. The Warriors are here to stay, of course, with Curry being the best point guard in the league and the rest of the team playing well around him.
- Draymond Green
- Andrew Wiggins
- Jordan Poole
- Who Deserves The Max Contract?
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But because they cannot afford to give everyone max contracts, there are still a few significant uncertainties about how the club will function in the long run. Yes, Stephen Curry is entitled to every dollar he makes and will continue to make for the foreseeable future. In a similar vein, Klay Thompson is immovable and the second-best shooter in the world when healthy. But how do Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green fit into Golden State’s long-term strategies? Due to the NBA salary cap, the Warriors cannot afford to pay everyone.
Unfortunately, Draymond Green, the team’s leader, and enforcer is in news recently after he assaulted Jordan Poole during a practice session. Green is on the decline, but his value to the Warriors is clearly important because they would not have won without him. On defense and with toughness, Green impacted the court at a high level. But Poole is an up-and-coming star, and even Andrew Wiggins proved to be arguably the team’s second-best player in the 2022 NBA Finals. It is time to defend the case of each player on the Warriors to determine which player truly deserves a max contract.
Draymond Green
Age: 32
2021-22 Statistics: 7.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Career Statistics: 8.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Obviously, Draymond is a unique player because no other player has the kind of statistics that the power forward puts up. He averages under 10 PPG per season and can’t shoot consistently, but he somehow has proven to be an excellent playmaker by bringing the ball up the floor when he gets the rebound. Defensively, Draymond is still elite because he can guard all five positions at any given moment. Most importantly, Draymond is the leader of the team. Sure, he can get out of hand, but his impact over the past few years has been undeniably great.
But a max contract signifies that the Warriors will bet on a player’s impact for the foreseeable future. Green is 32 years old and will be 33 at some point next year. Not to mention, he has clearly lost a step in his production because he has lost athleticism and has shot under 30% from three over the last four seasons. On any other team, Green would not be in the mix for a max contract even if he defends at an elite level or passes the ball as well as he does. But on the Warriors, he fits like a glove, and his partnership with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson has made him untouchable for a long time. But is he untouchable right now? The answer is no. After the punch on Jordan Poole, Green has lost the trust of his teammates and also of Warriors Nation.
If Green is contending for the Defensive Player of the Year award and averaging over 35% shooting from three, he would have been more untouchable than he is right now. But he is on the decline, and in two years’ time at a minimum, it is likely the power forward would be looking to ride off into the sunset. But again, the Poole incident has greatly impacted how the organization is looking at Draymond because at his age and what he provides, he could be more trouble than he is worth, especially at maximum money.
Andrew Wiggins
Age: 27
2021-22 Statistics: 17.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career Statistics: 19.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Andrew Wiggins will never be a superstar player, but on the Golden State Warriors, he has found his role as a wing defender who uses his supreme athleticism to score the ball. Wiggins is humble and willing to take a backseat to the stars on the team and is aware of his limitations much more than ever before. Credit to Steve Kerr and the Warriors because they have found a way to make Andrew look like a No. 1 overall pick at many points during last season. Not to mention, Wiggins was a Western Conference All-Star starter.
At age 27, Wiggins has at least 5 years at a very high level in terms of athleticism, scoring, and defense. He might even get better because his performances in the 2022 Finals might elevate his status and confidence. No doubt, Wiggins will be needed alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson because he can defend the opposing team’s best scorer and also spot up for shots. Averaging 17.2 PPG on 46.6% from the field isn’t spectacular, but it is very solid for a third option on a team that shares the ball anyways.
Over the next five years, Wiggins can hover around the same numbers he has been putting up and could even elevate them. Two-way wing players are in heavy demand around the league right now, and Wiggins fits the bill perfectly. Especially with the Warriors, Wiggins has proven to be an exceptional system player and will only get better. His age is a big factor because he is five years younger than Draymond Green and certainly contributes more on the offensive end.
Jordan Poole
Age: 23
2021-22 Statistics: 18.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career Statistics: 13.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
In terms of potential, nobody on the Golden State Warriors can beat Jordan Poole right now. He is the most impressive offensive player on the team behind Stephen Curry and has the ability to legitimately become the third “Splash Brother”. His deep range and exceptional scoring ability were on display during last year’s postseason, and he is only getting better. Sure, at 6’4” and 190 lbs, he is not the defensive enforcer that Green or Wiggins is, but he is a fire starter who can catch fire in an instant.
At age 23, he also has an 8-year span to build his All-Star potential, and it can be done with the Warriors. As he continues getting trained by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson under Steve Kerr, Poole can be the eventual replacement for one of the Splash Brothers because he has the range, shooting, and confidence to do so. Of course, he seems to be popular among the Warriors organization because most of the team and coaches came out to his defense after the Draymond Green incident.
No doubt, if Poole does not get a max contract from the Warriors, some other team out there will be willing to pay him. The shooting guard shot 36.4% from three last year and also led the NBA in free-throw shooting (92.5%). Golden State would prefer to keep Poole, but again, they can’t afford to pay him alongside Wiggins and Green. It will come down to how the Warriors want to proceed down the line because they will need to analyze how much Steph and Klay have left in the tank and who can be the answer for the long term. Poole has the most potential out of the three, but streaky shooters do come around more often than leaders and All-Star two-way wings. Does potential weigh more? Here is who the Warriors will need to choose.
Who Deserves The Max Contract?
The priority for the Golden State Warriors will have to be Andrew Wiggins. He does not have the scoring ceiling that Jordan Poole has, but he is by far the best perimeter defender on the team and is also still in his prime. His unselfishness makes him a reliable threat to play off other scorers while also taking initiative at times as well. His growth as a two-way player was considerable in 2022, and he might be the type of player that gets better as his mentality matures. For years, Wiggins was called relatively immature in his mentality.
But he is getting there and started for the Western Conference All-Stars. Over the next five years, Wiggins will be in his prime and will continue his growth and two-way impact. Alongside Steph and Klay, Wiggins has proven to be the most consistent performer on both ends of the floor. Again, finding All-Star-caliber two-way wings who came up big in an NBA Finals is far tougher than finding a streaky offensive player or defensive power forward. That is even more accentuated when taking into account how Wiggins fits perfectly with the team.
The second priority has to be Jordan Poole. At 23, the sky is the limit for him and he is already showing signs of becoming an All-Star. Poole has a higher ceiling than Wiggins and can be a legitimate 25 PPG scorer for a very long time as he continues improving his shooting and slashing abilities. Poole also has the makings of a third Splash Brother because he has a quick release and a ton of confidence. The young man simply looks like a Golden State Warriors player.
Poole can also be the direct replacement for the declining Klay Thompson, who is coming off two major injuries. As much as Golden State hates to think about it, there will be a time when Curry and Thomspon won’t be on the floor anymore. Curry is nearly 35 years old, and Klay is almost 33 years old. That means, by the time Poole hits his prime, both stars will be out of the superstardom phase (most likely). That means the Warriors can give the keys to Poole, a player who will see the next phase of the franchise. No doubt, the Warriors must find a way to keep Wiggins and Poole.
That ultimately means Draymond Green is the least important player out of the three candidates right now. Green has the biggest cache, winning 4 NBA titles and even capturing a Defensive Player of the Year trophy in 2017. But it has been five years since Green was the best defender in the NBA, and his skills have decreased significantly. Paying a 32-year-old maximum money when he is shooting under 30% from three and can’t score much is not the brightest idea. Green’s value comes on the court, where his defense and leadership is witnessed, but the forward only played 46 games last year.
Green is breaking down slowly and is not the same player when taking into account his athleticism and energy from a few years ago. Of course, Draymond has been somewhat of a high-maintenance player because his outspoken nature and explosive temper have seen him hurt his team. Remember, Green was suspended in the 2016 NBA Finals and that ultimately led to the Cleveland Cavaliers coming back from a 3-1 deficit. This offseason, he punched Jordan Poole, a better player than him, and that might have been the final straw. No doubt, Green will have the attention of other teams around the league, including the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and the Detroit Pistons. It might be beneficial to both parties if Green moved on.
In the end, Wiggins is the priority because he is in his prime and is one of the best two-way stars in the NBA. He can form a Big Three with Curry and Klay and will continue to improve under Steve Kerr. Poole is definitely the second priority because his sharpshooting and offensive abilities make him a long-term replacement for one or both of the Splash Brothers. Paying a 23-year-old max money is good business because he has the time to grow into a bona fide All-Star for years to come. Draymond Green has been an invaluable servant for the Warriors, and the franchise does not win a single title without him, but the writing is on the wall for him. He will be better off joining another team in a big market because his skills at this moment in time do not fit Golden State’s short and long-term plans.
