From the outside looking in, the Warriors enter the NBA free agency opener on Sunday having already taken two steps back with the Paul-George-Klay-Thompson dilemma, which could pose a real problem for the front office.
Whether the Warriors traded or waived Chris Paul, they would have had 11 players under contract when he hit free agency.
“We’ve got some holes to fill. We’ve got some needs to fill,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said Thursday after the NBA draft. “We’ll turn the page from the draft to free agency and see what we can do.”
Some positions are more important for the Warriors to fill than others, and some needs are more pressing than others. Following the draft, we ranked the Warriors’ free agent needs by position and skill set with work remaining to be done.
5. Backup point guard
Whatever you think about Paul’s one season with the Warriors after he was one of the team’s biggest competitors for years — Steve Kerr always praised him for giving him the most playing time at his position outside of Stephen Curry — Paul is gone, leaving the Warriors with another hole on the roster.
The only option remaining on the Warriors’ roster at this point is Brandin Podziemski, who is a genuine candidate for the starting shooting guard position.
The 21-year-old was fourth in assists among rookies last season behind Scoot Henderson, Keionte George and Victor Wembanyama. Henderson had 212 total turnovers, George had 188 and Wembanyama had 260, just 14 fewer assists than his 274 total.
Podziemski lost the ball 88 times. The All-Rookie First Team selection also had 273 assists, fourth-most on the Warriors behind Paul, Draymond Green and Curry.
Paul struggled to get the ball under pressure defenses. Podziemski has already shown he can handle that pressure, but he’s played small forward as much as point guard. Even if Podziemski handles the ball more in his second season, the Warriors have a hole to fill here.
4. Defensive stopper
The Warriors had a defensive rating of 113.5 when Green was playing last season. In the 27 games without him, that defensive rating jumped to 121.1. Not surprisingly, even at age 34, Golden State’s defense continues to rely on Green’s insight and production.
None of this takes away from the fact that the Warriors were consistently terrible defensively last season. Andrew Wiggins, the man who was supposed to contain the opposing team’s leading scorer, had the worst defensive rating of any Warriors regular at 116.3. Thompson was close behind at 116.1.
Gary Payton II led the Warriors with a defensive rating of 108.9. Payton played in 44 games last season and 66 the past two seasons.
The Warriors prioritized signing defensive threat Reece Beekman out of Virginia to a two-way contract immediately after the NBA draft, and they still need more.
3. Wing Depth
This is a wing league, and the Warriors are a little short on players on both sides of the ball, but there’s still room for improvement. Wiggins is the starter at small forward right now, but could be moved. Is Jonathan Kuminga the No. 3 or No. 4? Moody was more of a wing than a shooting guard last season.
The goal will again be to find a wing with the size and ability to spread the floor, or better known as the “Otto Porter Jr.” model. Even at his nastiest health, it’s been tough for the Warriors to replicate Porter’s production from his championship season in 2022.
One notable option is Tobias Harris. The veteran forward would be the Warriors’ latest reputation experiment, much like the Wiggins trade. Harris’ reputation has plummeted after he failed to live up to his big contract. He’s also 6-foot-8, capable of playing both forward positions and is a 3-point shooter.
His size and what Harris does on the court in theory is the type of player the Warriors have their eye on here.
2. Big Man
Whether it’s in the backcourt, frontcourt or on the wings, the Warriors have to get bigger. They have to get bigger. There’s no escaping this reality.
Trayce Jackson-Davis replaced Kevon Looney as the Warriors’ starting center late in the regular season. The 24-year-old had a great rookie season and is currently the Warriors’ starter. He should at least be in the center rotation.
Looney’s $8 million contract is guaranteed and he could be part of a trade package. The veteran has great value on the court and in the locker room. By taking 24-year-old Quinten Post in the second round of the draft, the Warriors got their only true 7-footer and big man who can shoot.
The Dario Saric acquisition didn’t go as planned, Post could use a player like Nemanja Bjelica, and there’s still room for improvement at a position on the roster that’s always been a question mark.
1. Scorers
With George opting out of his player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, the nine-time All-Star’s price tag will almost certainly be more than the Warriors can afford, at which point it’s all but inevitable that Thompson’s time with the Warriors will be over.
Even if Thompson went 0-for-10 in his final game, it doesn’t erase the fact that the Warriors will miss his scoring and shooting, or that they are in desperate need of a true No. 2 scoring option, which they haven’t found on the free agent market. A true No. 2 can only be acquired via trade.
So what? Score. The Warriors need to study how to replicate Jordan Poole’s scoring prowess in 2021-22. Thompson was the second-leading scorer and, despite being considered out of form last season, made 268 three-pointers. Wiggins (91) and Podziemski (90) made a combined 181 three-pointers. Moody (72) and Kuminga (53) made 125 three-pointers between them.
Mike Dunleavy acquired Lindy Waters III in a trade from Oklahoma City on the morning of the second round of the draft. The 26-year-old is a 3-point shooter, and the Warriors, the team that revolutionized the 3-point shot, need more of him.
Especially with Klay leaving.
The Warriors are counting on Kuminga to step up as Curry’s second-string scorer, barring a big move. Finding that kind of player in free agency is highly unlikely. Scorers, shooters, ideally both, must be top priorities.
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