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The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that Golden State is a lot more willing to move anyone on the team not named Steph Curry in the wake of a second straight blowout defeat, a 141-105 loss to the Pelicans.
“The mindset in Golden State right now is everyone but Steph Curry is on the table,” Charania said on “Run It Back,” an online sports show. “That’s their mindset.”
Charania then added, “Realistically, there’s an asterisk” to note the Warriors’ appreciation for Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. However, he still bookended his comment with, “Everyone else on that roster, except Steph Curry, has to be in play for this team.”
Rumors about the Warriors wanting to shuffle the roster ahead of the trade deadline are nothing new this season, but this latest update includes two names that were previously considered off limits: Thompson and Green. As recently as Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported, “There likewise continues to be zero indication that they would even explore trading franchise legends Klay Thompson or Draymond Green.” That was after their last blowout loss on Sunday when the Dubs fell to the Raptors, 133-118.
The big question is who the team would possibly get in return for these big names — Green, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and maybe even an injured Chris Paul — that are perhaps at the lowest trade value in their respective careers. It’s a conundrum that gets even tougher when, according to Charania, the Warriors “don’t want to take long-term money back” and the head coaching position next season is far from guaranteed.
Still, Golden State surely needs to do something if they want to salvage this season and maximize Curry’s championship window. As Kerr told reporters after Wednesday’s loss, the team has simply “lost the spirit and confidence that has to carry you against talented teams night in and night out.”
That being said, Kerr also said on Sunday that the team wouldn’t get “embarrassed” the way they did against the Raptors again this season, only to do so just one game later, so maybe he’s not the messenger to base decisions on.
