The Warriors will have to improve their roster while having financial constraints.
The Golden State Warriors had a disappointing end to their 2024 season after being eliminated in the Play-In Tournament. Heading into the offseason, the Dubs need to make some changes to reignite the dynasty around Stephen Curry.
Curry is still one of the best players in the league, and maximizing him in his final years is important. The 36-year-old averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 2023-24. He shot 45 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep.
The Warriors have built their dynasty around the core of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. That era of Golden State could be coming to an end as Thompson enters free agency.
Rumors have only been fueled about Thompson’s potential departure as he unfollowed the Warriors on Instagram. Thompson may have struggled at times this season, but losing him would create another hole in Golden State’s rotation.
The front office has a ton of work to do, as the roster needs to address many issues. With that said, here are three major offseason fixes the Warriors must make to make another title run with Stephen Curry.
Warriors need to add more size
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The Warriors have embraced small ball over the years of their dynasty. However, as the league continues to evolve, Golden State needs to invest in adding more size.
The Warriors will likely waive center Kevon Looney to save costs. This will create a hole at the backup big spot, which the front office will need to address. It won’t be easy to solve this problem as Golden State has salary cap restrictions.
Cheap options for the backup center include Mason Plumlee, Goga Bitadze, and Andre Drummond. If the Warriors can land one of those centers, they would help improve their depth.
Golden State also needs to add more size at forward for their bench unit. They could target Cedi Osman, Markieff Morris, and Nicolas Batum.
Golden State must acquire another scorer
The Warriors will need to look into adding another scorer this offseason to complement Curry and the emerging Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga had a breakout campaign in his third season, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shot 52.9 percent from the floor and 32.1 percent from behind the arc.
Kuminga is vital to the Warriors emerging as contenders once again. However, Curry and Kuminga can’t shoulder the scoring load alone. With Thompson’s potential departure, they could lose an 18-point per-game scorer.
The Warriors will likely have to package Andrew Wiggins, a young player, and draft capital to acquire a talented scorer. Given his production, it could be difficult to do so, as Wiggins is not on a favorable contract.
Golden State should look at players like Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, and Lauri Markkanen.
More shooting in Dub Nation, anyone?
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While this may be surprising, the Warriors need more shooting alongside Curry. Losing one of the Splash Brothers in Thompson makes this need even greater.
The Warriors have the greatest shooter in NBA history in Curry, which is a great start. Brandin Podziemski is also a quality 3-point shooter, but they need other options.
Free agent guard Buddy Hield would be a tremendous addition. Hield had a solid season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from deep.
They could also target Malik Beasley, who shot 41.3 percent from three this season.
The Warriors have many needs to address this offseason if they want to get back in the title hunt. Adding more size and shooting and acquiring another scorer should be the top priorities for the Warriors’ front office.
Ben Cooper is a sports writer covering key stories on the Lakers, NBA at large, and NFL for ClutchPoints. The Southern California native received his degree from California Lutheran University. Ben also has bylines at LakersAllDayEveryday and District Media.
