A single 3. That is all it took to keep the Warriors from becoming back to back NBA Champions. But now is not the time to look back on past mistakes. With the 2016 NBA Finals and the NBA Draft in the rear view mirror, the Warriors look towards their future and their hopeful creation of a dynasty in the Bay Area.
So how do the Warriors bounce back?
In the playoffs, teams exposed the Warriors biggest weakness, their frontcourt. During the playoff, all the frontcourt players on the Warrior’s roster not named Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala averaged 24.4 ppg, 5.6 apg, and 16.3 rpg. Those numbers may not seem terrible, but consider this: those figures are the total of five different players averages in the playoffs (Ezeli, Barnes, Varejao, Speights, and Bogut). By himself, Lebron James outscored and out assisted those five players and only collected five less rebounds per game in the Finals. Those players simply just did not produce enough points, rebounds, or assists over the course of the Finals. Outside of Andrew Bogut, none of those players made a mark defensively either.
The good news for the Warriors is that Bogut is the only player who is still on contract this offseason. The rest of them will hit free agency and find a new home (hopefully). On top of them leaving, the Warriors have many players signed through next year that are getting closer and closer to meeting father time. Andre Iguodala is 32 years old, Andrew Bogut is 31 years old, and Shaun Livingston is 30 years old. This is why the moves that the Golden State Warriors front office make this offseason are so important towards the future of this organization.
To become a dynasty, a team must regularly retool their roster while keeping their core intact. The Warriors should have no problem keeping their Big 3 together, but choosing what players to keep or lose and replacing new players around that core will be the toughest decision for Bob Myers and Joe Lacob this offseason. We will look at the many options they can choose in this article
At the top of the Warrior’s To Do List is to enter the Kevin Durant Sweepstakes. KD will demand a max contract this offseason once the salary cap rises. The Warriors can make enough room for him after they lose most of their bench in free agency. They will also have to find a way to trade either Bogut or Iggy for practically nothing in return. The smart thing to do here would be to trade Bogut for a future 2nd round pick and keep Iggy on the roster. If Kevin Durant signs with the Warriors (and that is a big if), then they can sign veterans like Joakim Noah and Matt Barnes on Mid Level or Vet Minimum contracts. Adding Kevin Durant boosts their team to unimaginable levels, and the Warriors know the addition of Noah and Barnes will bring two high IQ players along with the scoring and defensive punch needed onto their bench. Those moves would put them around $96,700,000 in total salary. They would be right about the salary cap with room to add a couple more bench players if they decide they need more.
Of course, the chances that KD chooses to play for the Warriors aren’t high, so if that falls through, there are plenty more FA whom the Warriors can pick up in the offseason.
If the Warriors are looking to fill their small forward spot with a more reliable scorer, they may look to sign Nicolas Batum, Chandler Parsons, Evan Turner, Kent Bazemore, or Allen Crabbe. Batum and Parsons are probably the best scorers on this list; however, Turner is proven to be a great defender and Bazemore played for the Warriors a few seasons ago so he already has that locker room connection. The most interesting option here would be to go with Allen Crabbe. In the playoffs, Crabbe was everything the Warriors wanted Harrison Barnes to be. Crabbe averaged 9.5 ppg on 52.1 % from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He proved to be a stellar defender and explosive finisher above the rim. At only 23 years old, Crabbe can improve on his game tremendously in the Warriors frontcourt if they decide to go that direction.
If the Warriors are looking to fill their center spot with a player who is capable of grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds, they have a long list of high IQ veteran centers on the market that they can choose from. At the top of the list are Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Zaza Pachulia. Interestingly enough, every center on this list is either 30 years old or older. Most of the younger centers in the league now are demanding lucrative contracts. Outside of Dwight Howard, these centers will most likely go for the Vet Minimum or a Mid Level deal. They are all unique in their playing style however. Horford and Gasol can stretch the floor, make great passes, and defend. Howard, Noah, and Zaza are great rebounders and also play stout defense. Howard is the best rebounder and defender in this group, but the best choice for the Warriors will probably be Horford. Al Horford is a great passer and scorer. He is an underrated defender, but he provides a reliable scoring threat at the center position, which is something the Warriors have lacked the past few years.
If the Warriors can pick up one or two of these guys in the off-season for cheap, they have a great chance of coming back and winning the title next year. There are four months in between Game 7 and the start of the 2017 regular season. In between then and now, the Warriors needs to focus on how to add more talent to their roster and how to make a trip back to the NBA Finals.
