The Golden State Warriors championship defense came up short. Steph Curry and company will be back to try again next year but some big changes could be coming.
Repeating as NBA champions is one of the hardest challenges in sports. But the Warriors had done it before and they were supposed to have plenty working in their favor this year. They still had their core — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr. They still had key role players like Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins. And they had ascendent young players ready to step up, like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman.
But injuries took their toll, Kuminga and Moody regressed at times and Wiseman was so ineffective he was traded in February to bring back Gary Payton II, who the Warriors were forced to let walk at the end of last season. In the end, they didn't have enough to break through.
They'll be back next year but they need to make some changes, to ensure they have the talent, depth and versatility to deal with a Western Conference field that could be as talented as ever.
These three Golden State Warriors definitely won't be back:
3. Anthony Lamb
Lamb was one of the biggest surprises of the Warriors' season, helping fill injury-related absences, stealing minutes from Moses Moody, appearing in 62 games and averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per 36 minutes while shooting 36.7 percent from the floor. He was reliable as a 3-and-D contributor but completely disappeared from the playoff rotation. With an expiring contract, no apparent playoff utility and the lingering shadow of a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Vermont that includes rape accusations against him, the Warriors will likely let him move on.
3. JaMychal Green
JaMychal Green was the Warriors' hero in Game 2, joining the starting lineup, and breaking the Lakers' defense wide-open with his shooting. He finished with 15 points in just 13 minutes, including hitting a trio of 3-pointers. However, he didn't have the same effect in Game 3, a Warriors' loss, and by Game 4 he was back out of the starting lineup.
Green filled in nicely as a deep bench guy this year, contributing versatile frontcourt defense and hitting 37.8 percent of his 3s, a touch above his career average. But he's also 32 and didn't give the Warriors as much in the role as Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica did the year before. Golden State will still need someone to fill that role next year behind Andrew Wiggins, defending versatile forwards and bigger wings but they would probably like to find someone with a bit more upside.
The Warriors will likely let him go when his contract expires, opening more minutes for Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, and finding someone else to fill this role as a Plan C at the very back end of the rotation.
1. Draymond Green or Jordan Poole
From the beginning of this season, it seemed like this might be the end for Draymond Green and the Warriors. He was not able to negotiate an extension with the team, Jordan Poole was and it certainly appeared that frustration could have been a contributing factor to the punch he throw at Poole in a preseason practice.
Green has a player option for next season and, while it was far from certain, there seemed to be a good possibility he would opt out and sign a longer deal with someone like the Lakers, larger than the Warriors could offer him because of the extensions they signed Andrew Wiggins and Poole too.
However, Poole regressed and has completely no-showed in the playoffs — averaging just 10.6 points, shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Green has proved himself utterly essential even accounting for the chaos he caused by stomping on Domantas Sabonis' chest and getting suspended for a game in the first round.
Zach Lowe has said that the Warriors have to explore trading Poole and if they do move him, there's a good chance Golden State will try to negotiate an extension with Green. If they can't find the right trade partner, they may have to watch Green leave anyway.
At this point, it's not clear what the future holds for Poole or Green. But the odds seem exceedingly small that they're both on the Warriors next year.
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