WarriorGM wrote:SAKURABA216 wrote:This is the thing that doesn't make any sense to me. The Warriors should be the team that all stars that just want to win should be demanding a trade to. They have a winning culture, good ownership, unselfish stars, good trade assets to make it work, and a culture that has proven that it is only one other star away from dominating the rest of the league. However, you haven't seen any of the star players come out and demand a trade here yet. All Beal has to do is say the magic words and he will be here by the trade deadline. Could it be that the team isn't as big of a free agent destination as we are hoping it is?
xdrta+ wrote:I think you're way overestimating, if not the Warrior chances, at least the way the league looks at the Warrior chances of getting back in contention. Stars looking to get a ring want their best shots at it. There are just too many teams with a better shot at it than the Warriors.
Simple question to both of you: Is Stephen Curry the best player in the NBA? If your answer is no then my question is why not?
The objective evidence I would argue absolutely screams that he is. Now if other teams and their followers don't agree, that is understandable. But it is unacceptable if his own organization doesn't seem to believe it or to make moves that back such a belief.
The Clippers bent over backwards for Kawhi, Curry should be able to expect nothing less even if he isn't demanding it. But there are people here already presuming tanking is the best option because they don't seem to believe Curry can accomplish anything with the current team. This is absolutely dumb thinking.
Now if the Warriors organization cannot show itself to be 110% behind Curry and the fan base cannot show itself to be 110% behind Curry—even after all he has done with the Warriors—then I must ask what exactly is it about the Warriors that is supposed to make it an attractive destination? They cannot even support their best player.
And yes the organization is not supporting Curry sufficiently. I find it bizarre that on a purported Warriors forum like this one, there isn't even a dedicated Stephen Curry thread as he is unleashing an MVP level season. Where is the chatter coming from the organization having his back? Where was the pushback from the team when all the idiocy at the beginning of the season was being spread? The Lakers probably sold their target free agents on the idea that they'll be able to play with the best player in the world if they joined their team. Can the Warriors do the same? Would they even believe it?
The KD episode showed other star players of his caliber that it can also be potentially weird trying to fit into the Warriors. Other players with an ego are being shown they won't be allowed to shine. The Warriors it seems are trying to cultivate a Spurs identity. Kawhi though seems to have done much better for himself leaving such a straitjacket. My observation is also that stars weren't rushing to join the Spurs. They were more willing to join the Lakers. Kobe was a better draw than Duncan. There have been many notable partings from the Warriors that belie the rosy story Warriors fans tell themselves about the team: KD of course, but also Cousins, Javale McGee, Patrick McCaw, and Jordan Bell for example. The team better wise-up.
The problem can be summed up in the title of this thread. What it should read is this: The best player in the world is producing some of his most exciting basketball ever—and the Warriors have him.
Is Steph currently the best player in the NBA? That is debatable, over the past few weeks yes but I think an argument could be made for Lebron and KD as well, but that is besides the point. Of course, the Warriors need to do whatever they can to support Curry, but there are so many other factors to take into consideration. They are way over the cap so their ability to make any moves depends on whether or not any other team is willing to trade their star player to the Warriors and be willing to accept what they receive in return.
We can't trade Klay because he is almost as valuable to the team as Curry is when he is healthy.
We can't trade Draymond because we will not receive equal value for what he offers to this team.
We have tried using Wiggins as a big contract to make the numbers work in any trade for a max player, but so far no other team is willing to trade us their star in a package that includes him. Additionally, if we do trade him then we would have a huge hole at starting SF that can create his own shot and defend perimeter players.
Wiseman could be traded, but as the past few games have shown us, we need a legit center to defend the paint, rebound, and finish lobs. If we still had Chriss or actively pursued another center during free agency like Dwight Howard then it would be easier to include him in a trade package, but all we have now at back-up center is Looney who should not be playing extended minutes on a contending team.
This leave Oubre as our only real trade chip, but his trade value has taken a hit with his early struggles and his apparently low basketball IQ.
Now if we look at which players are possibly available that could help Curry this season, there really is only Bradley Beal. However, since he has not asked to be traded and the Wizards have made it known that they see him as their franchise player that they will want to build their team around, the Warriors offer for him will have to be substantial. The best package we could offer is Wiggins/Oubre + Wiseman + Minnesota pick + future FRPs. Would it be worth it to trade all of those pieces for Beal? That is debatable, but the past few games have shown us that we need a legit center or else every game will just be a shootout and we would be asking Curry to play even more minutes and risk injury just so we can be a be a team whose ceiling is a 2nd round exit.
On the other hand, if we showed some restraint and took a step back, there is a possibility that next season we could have Curry/Klay/Wiggins/Draymond/Wiseman plus a top 4 pick and a pick in the 10-20 range in the stacked 2021 draft. Not only would we be in a better position to trade for another star, but we could also just keep our players and be set up to contend next year and into the foreseeable future.
