The Golden State Warriors’ offseason could have gone quite differently.
After years of glory and dominance — outside of a two-year skid — the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty came to a close. They won four championships and made six NBA Finals appearances behind a core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
This past offseason, Thompson left the historic trio behind, leaving the club in free agency in favor of the Dallas Mavericks. With the three aforementioned players’ careers winding down, Thompson needed a change of scenery, and joining the Mavericks provides him an opportunity to compete for a fifth NBA Championship.
The Warriors aren’t unfamiliar with having to re-tool. After a couple of down seasons, the squad made new changes which led to their title victory in 2022. This past offseason, the Warriors attempted to aggressively re-tool for another chance at competing.
This past offseason, there were two prime candidates Golden State was targeting to fill their void at the forward position. They were aiming to sign Paul George, who entered free agency without a new deal from the LA Clippers. He eventually signed with the Philadelphia 76ers as the Clippers didn’t negotiate a sign-and-trade to land George in the Bay Area.
Lauri Markkanen was the other name the Warriors were seemingly after. The Utah Jazz were open to calls for the All-Star forward, though a deal never substantiated between the two sides.
According to The Athletic, Green revealed the reasons why the Warriors were unable to build their ideal “big four” around Curry, Green, George and Markkanen.
“The conversation was always about that possibility. You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play ball. Then Danny Ainge was being Danny Ainge,” Green said.
Curry is 36-years-old. Green is 34-years-old. Both players will enjoy a birthday during the coming season as they continue to get closer and closer to the age at which most illustrious players hand up their shoes and quit hitting the hardwood.
The two players have had decorated careers, and they’re still contributing to winning basketball, even if it’s not at the same level it was when they were in their primes winning four NBA titles.
The Warriors remaining aggressive in trying to build around the two proves they’re still trying to compete around the two big-name players. Curry proved in the Olympics that he’s still one of the best in the world at the sport.
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