Top Warriors Targets Amidst a Quiet Offseason
The NBA offseason has been buzzing across the league. With major moves like Kevin Durant heading to Houston and news that Giannis Antetokounmpo will stick it out with Milwaukee, it seems like contenders across the landscape are retooling…
Except for one.
Aside from the Spurs (who signed Luke Kornet), the Warriors are the only team this season to not make a major acquisition outside of this year’s draft. While second round pick and national champion Will Richardson has shown some excellent motor and potential rotation readiness in his brief summer league stint, Golden State’s roster from last season remains static aside from the potential departure of championship contributor Gary Payton II and the actual departure franchise legend Kevon Looney. Loon’s impact in the Bay will be remembered forever, and there’s a very valid argument that no player should ever wear #5 again.
But as much as we’ll miss him, now is the time for the Warriors to begin retooling around the Steph Curry-Jimmy Butler tandem we bore witness to late last season given they have some cap space and cap exceptions to work with. Without injuries, this team might’ve had a puncher’s chance at the Western Conference Finals, but Steph’s absence against Minnesota laid bare the gaps the roster has. There are improvements to be made, and with the Dubs wrapped up in rumors amongst free agency, here are a few reinforcements they can recruit to take aim at a deeper run, health-permitting.
1) De’Anthony Melton
Melton’s been a name that’s come up several times for Golden State since his departure to Brooklyn after tearing his ACL midseason. While we’ve already covered how great it would be to have him back, it’s worth re-emphasizing that his positional versatility on defense and three-point acumen would help to fill a traditional 3-and-D role that the Dubs currently only get out of Moses Moody (and sometimes Brandin Podziemski). From all the archetypes that have been missing on this team outside of a true 7-footer, Melton’s skillset might be the one that hurts the most to not have in a league where shooting and switchability are so valuable. Reports indicate that he’s slanting towards rejoining the Warriors (with them listed regularly as “strong contenders”), and given his familiarity with the scheme from last year’s training camp and brief regular season stint, there’s no reason he couldn’t immediately earn the starting 2-guard spot and make a winning impact from day 1.
2) Al Horford
Another player from the 3-and-D archetype that the Warriors are missing, this time at the center position, Horford fits the team profile of being closer to the tail-end of his career. Recent reporting has made it seem like the Warriors or Nuggets were his options outside of outright retirement, so with the Nuggets picking up Jonas Valanciunas it seems like Horford only has two plays left. A long-time NBA veteran, former All-Star, and champion with the Celtics, the 6’9 center was a boon for Boston’s 5-out lineups the past few seasons, both as a starter and a reserve. The biggest benefit of having Big Al is that he paves the way for lineups that can space around Draymond Green’s playmaking or Jonathan Kuminga’s slashing (if he stays) using his career 37% from deep beyond the arc, but another and possibly underrated benefit would be to give 2nd-year center Quinten Post a true veteran with similar skills at a similar position to learn from. Horford joining the league’s 3rd-oldest roster may seem problematic given how limited his playing time could be at his age due to injury, but he’s the best free agent center left on the market and provides a unique skillset with the experience that Post doesn’t have just yet.
3) Trey Murphy III
Of all the offseason targets we’ve discussed before, Murphy might be the biggest swing. He was a revelation last season for the Pelicans, who currently have a crowded depth chart at his flexible 3/4 position, giving them over 21 points and 5 boards a game. At 6’8, Murphy gives great positional size on the wings and at forward while playing tenacious defense and possessing an excellent shooting stroke (career 38% from deep in his 4 seasons). He’s an athlete that moves well off the ball and has shown plenty of flashes of self-creation this past season, a more complete vision potentially of how Kuminga fits in now. JoKu would certainly have to be included to make this deal happen, and while it’s unlikely that NOLA opts to move Murphy instead of Herb Jones (another potentially-good Warriors trade target, a similar player who trades the self-creation and a bit of three-point touch for menacing defensive skills), there’s been plenty of noise that they’d be interested in having the Warriors forward on their team. If Golden State can manage to pick up one of those two guys in addition to someone like Yves Missi, it would be a home-run of a move to make, but even just Murphy would be an absolute slash given his familiarity to a more complementary role despite his come-up.
(Photo credit: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)