The Golden State Warriors are trying to balance competing agendas. First and probably foremost, they want to maximize whatever is left of Stephen Curry's prime, but they also want to lay a strong foundation for the post-Curry era. To fully re-enter the title-contender conversation while Curry is still able to lead that kind of charge, they'll likely have to compromise some of the future by trading James Wiseman and/or the top-three-protected 2021 Minnesota pick that represent the franchise's two best assets.
The chances of them swinging a blockbuster deal like that were pretty much dead long before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. If and when Bradley Beal, or another legitimate needle-moving star, becomes available, perhaps they'll consider pushing all their chips in. But it was thought the Warriors would still make some kind of move on Thursday.
Technically, they did. They sent Brad Wanamaker, who's fallen out of the rotation, to Charlotte, and Marquese Chriss, a backup center who played two games this season before breaking his leg, to the Spurs. Both were purely financial deals to save on tax penalties. For all intents and purposes, the Warriors stood pat.
Which means Kelly Oubre Jr. is still in the Bay, and he becomes a very interesting decision for the Warriors this summer when he becomes a free agent. If Golden State didn't intend to seriously consider re-signing him, it likely would've accepted some kind of deal to avoid losing him for nothing in a few months. Keep in mind, he's not restricted. He can sign with whoever he wants.
Oubre has been solid for the Warriors after a historically dreadful first month. The Warriors won't have cap space this summer, so the ability to retain Oubre via his Bird rights is a valuable chip. He's a two-way player with 3-point range. With Klay Thompson back, he'll slot as another versatile defender who should be able to settle in as a No. 3 or 4 scorer, depending on how you rank him and Andrew Wiggins.
But that bigger deal still hangs in the air. Even with Thompson back, and even assuming he comes back at something close to 100 percent (which may be unrealistic despite what we've seen from Kevin Durant after his torn Achilles), it's a stretch to say that alone will vault Golden State back into title contention. Wiseman almost certainly won't be ready to contribute at that level next year, nor will whomever they select with the Minnesota pick, which won't even convey until 2022 unless it falls to No. 4 or lower. It could easily be three years before either of those players becomes a meaningful player.
That is a long time to wait with Curry ripe on the vine right now. Draymond Green is already not the same player he used to be, and again, who knows what Thompson will be upon his return. The Warriors could sit around protecting their future when that future will never be as good as their present could still be if they maximize Curry. It remains to be seen if Wiseman is a player who can be built around. If he's not an Anthony Davis or a Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic, which is highly unlikely, he's going to have to be supported by a better player.
You know, someone like, say, Stephen Curry.
We'll see how the Warriors handle this tricky, if enviable, situation heading into the summer. Understand, a player like Beal, or any other superstar, isn't necessarily a must for the Warriors to re-enter contention. With Curry, Thompson and Green, a move for just a solid player -- just throwing random names out, someone like Gordon Hayward or Aaron Gordon or Jerami Grant, the kinds of guys Wiseman or the Minnesota pick alone could definitely fetch -- could be enough to at least give them a shot, which is all they can ask for with Curry still onboard. For now, they're standing pat, but you can only put off tough decisions for so long before your time to strike has passed.
