Lower than ever, the Warriors must find the right adjustments in order to raise the bar. To do this, Californian leaders are on the lookout for opportunities to be seized before the trade deadline. Thus, an important player in the squad could act as a bargaining chip.

Golden State Warriors mediocrity is rooted in on-court chemistry issues
The Warriors have not experienced such a deep crisis in almost a decade, in an off-season marked by injuries. This dynasty has terrorized the entire league for so long, but it is clear that we are currently witnessing the fall of an empire. Stuck in 12th place in the Western Conference with a negative record of 18 wins against 22 losses, the Dubs see their playoff hopes dwindling.

However, the leaders of the franchise do not intend to give up so easily. As the trade deadline approaches, which will take place on February 8, they are maintaining increasingly intensive negotiations. Although the discussions have not had a favorable outcome for the moment, the Californians still have a card to play, and would therefore be on the verge of sacrificing certain members of the squad.

An important Warriors player soon to leave?

Suspended twice already this season, Draymond Green was the subject of numerous transfer rumors during his absence. The same can be said of some of his teammates such as Jonathan Kuminga or Andrew Wiggins. However, the trend would be that the Warriors would be ready to abandon Dario Saric in favor of elements better suited to current needs, as explained by Clutchpoints .

 

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The Warriors will only have rights to Saric if he is retained this offseason, and will only be able to offer him a salary equivalent to 120% of his season earnings because the team is over the cap salary. Like Donte DiVincenzo before him, Saric was always destined to be a single-season used player due to the Warriors’ complicated financial health, returning to the open market after recouping his value, while helping out a contender.

Arriving this summer at Golden State, the interior was considered a short-term contribution at the time of his signing. The 2022 champions are having a complicated season, but the Croatian is not the most to blame. He actually averages 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 20 minutes of play. In addition, he has never been so effective at long distance with 39.1% 3-point success.

His minimum contract of $2.7 million per year represented a financial boon for a Bay Area team struggling to replenish the coffers. Furthermore, the emergence of rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis would have led management to explore the possibility of seeing the 29-year-old player leave. To be continued.

During this transfer period, the Warriors have been the subject of many rumors. Unable to find common ground with competing franchises so far, they could then reconsider their way of proceeding, and Dario Saric could therefore pay the price via an exchange.