• CLUTCH Summary: The Golden State Warriors lost Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and Klay Thompson to injury.
  • The popular, if lazy, narrative is that the dynastic run the franchise was on is over, despite the addition of D'Angelo Russell.
  • Klay Thompson will return at some point in the upcoming season, leaving reason to believe the Golden State Warriors aren't yet done. 

We're smack in the middle of a dry spot in the NBA offseason–after all the free agent frenzy has died down, but before the preseason and actual basketball games get underway. With the new NBA season set to start a little over two months from now, a renewed sense of hope and anticipation fills the hearts and minds of every NBA fan.

And with the full 2019-20 NBA schedule set to be released on August 8th, fans' minds can recklessly wander to wondering how their team matches up against the best. For the Golden State Warriors, fans can look forward to a fun season of growing their young players and watching Stephen Curry go off every night, even if it may not end in a championship.

For the Warriors, this season is a bit of an enigma. They're fresh off of a Finals loss and what was likely the end of their historic dynasty. But they still have a two-time MVP, a former Defensive Player of the Year, and, when healthy, four All-Stars on the roster.

So fans and the media alike are in a tough spot with the Warriors. Some dismiss them, believing they'll either be a low playoff seed or miss the playoffs entirely. Others think they're still threats when healthy, and have them as a top three seed in the crowded West.

Regardless of how the Warriors will look this year, they'll be some fun matchups. Ahead of the full schedule coming out, let's look at the five biggest, most entertaining matchups for the Warriors this upcoming season:

5. Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors

While a Finals rematch usually has top billing for the next season, this matchup has lost a lot of its juice with the departure of Kawhi Leonard. The Toronto Raptors' superstar bolted to Los Angeles, and the Raptors instantly went from contenders to a middle-of-the-pack playoff team. On the other end, the Warriors have undergone a complete roster makeover, with ten players from last year's team not returning. Regardless, an NBA Finals rematch is always intriguing, and several key pieces are still present.

Fred VanVleet, Toronto's backup point guard and Stephen Curry's primary defender in the Finals, did an admirable job guarding Curry. He led the famous box-and-one defense in the Finals, as the Raptors dared any other Warrior to make plays. None did. It was frustrating and, to an extent, humiliating for a Warriors team that boasted “Strength in Numbers” as its slogan.

No doubt this is all fresh in Curry's mind, and he'll be hunting for vengeance against VanVleet and the Raptors. And if the past few years are any indication, a vengeful Curry is a very dangerous man. The presence of D'Angelo Russell will likely deter the Raptors from returning to their gimmicky defense, and any game between these two teams will be full of headlines and will assuredly provide some exciting basketball.

4. Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets

Leaving what seemed like a perfect basketball fit in Golden State, Kevin Durant took his talents to Brooklyn. He chose to play alongside his friends, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, and join some promising young role players on the Brooklyn Nets. Essentially, he chose happiness and a desire to get away from criticism over a future of more championships.

While his departure didn't seem to leave any bad blood in Oakland, the Warriors will have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder every time they play the Nets. Even with Durant out for the season, Curry and Draymond Green (and Klay Thompson, when healthy) will play knowing that KD chose these guys over them. And as amicable as the split may have been, the Warriors will be looking to show that Durant made the wrong choice. And Draymond will be looking to back up his, “We don't need you!” tirade from last season.

On the other side, Kyrie Irving has historically been a Warriors killer, known most notably for his Game 7 dagger three-pointer to win the 2016 Finals. The Warriors are used to Kyrie being the villain, and a renewed rivalry with him will surely produce some fireworks next season.

Outside of all the KD drama, the Nets are the team that D'Angelo Russell just came to the Bay from. So he'll be playing against several of his old teammates, and players always manage to muster some extra motivation against their former team.

Storylines will abound every time these two teams go at it. Even without KD, it'll be must-watch TV.

3. Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James and the Warriors go way back. The two have been at each other's throats, meeting four consecutive times in the Finals. Last year, their matchups lost a little bit of appeal with the Los Angeles Lakers dealing with injuries and a losing record. But newly-acquired star Anthony Davis plans to put the Lakers back at the forefront of contention, and the Steph Curry-LeBron James matchup once again has plenty of talent on both sides.

In addition, former Warriors Quinn Cook and DeMarcus Cousins both signed with the Lakers this past summer in free agency. And JaVale McGee, another former Warrior, is still there in LA as well. Going along with the theme of former teams, D'Angelo Russell was drafted by the Lakers with the second overall pick in 2015. But they traded him to the Nets in 2017, and you can bet Russell will have some juice playing against the team that dealt him away.

In addition, with Durant and Andre Iguodala gone, the Warriors no longer have the length on defense to defend LeBron James. Expect him to put on a clinic against this young Warriors team. LeBron will be looking to avenge those three Finals losses at the hands of the Warriors, making these Lakers-Warriors games undoubtedly entertaining,

2. Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers made the biggest splash of the summer, landing both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The move rocketed them up to title favorites, and they'll be in the hunt for one of the top seeds in the West. The Warriors have a history with Leonard, starting with an injury caused by a seemingly-dirty play by then-Warrior Zaza Pachulia in 2017. The injury derailed what would've been an intriguing Conference Finals with Leonard's San Antonio Spurs.

But Leonard recently got some revenge of his own, with his Raptors taking down the short-handed Warriors in the Finals this past June. Now, Leonard joins the team the Warriors eliminated in the first round of this past year's playoffs. The Clippers looked strong in their first-round series and pushed a fully healthy juggernaut to six games behind Patrick Beverley's tenacious defense and an unstoppable Lou Williams-Montrezl Harrell pick-and-roll.

Bringing back the core of that group, the Clippers added two superstars to the mix. The result is a rare, fearsome group that can play strong perimeter defense, and has scorers and playmakers up and down the roster. Playing the Clippers will be a barometer of how teams stack up in the West, and mixed with the Warriors' history with Kawhi, it'll make for some exciting basketball.

1. Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets

The Warriors and the Houston Rockets are already slated to play in the vastly-popular Christmas Day slot. The Warriors eliminated the Rockets again this past playoffs, the second time they've done so in as many seasons. These Rockets, rooted in analytics, were built to take down the super team Warriors, but James Harden and Chris Paul just couldn't finish the job in either of the past two years.

With Paul replaced by Russell Westbrook, the matchup takes on a new dynamic. Westbrook has had a strong resentment for the Warriors the past few seasons, ever since Durant abruptly left him to join a 73-9 Warriors squad. Even with Durant gone and Westbrook in a new uniform, you can bet he's still got some bitterness brewing for Curry and company.

Harden, himself, has been eliminated by the Warriors four different times in his career, though the last two playoff series against Golden State certainly seemed winnable. Together, Harden and Westbrook have all kinds of motivation for pouncing on a younger Warriors team this year. And this time, it's the team in Houston that boasts two MVP's on the roster.

Expect a lot of offensive fireworks every time these two teams play. Curry, Russell, Harden, and Westbrook are all offensive-minded All-Star guards, and there'll be plenty of points, and plenty of beef, in these highly-anticipated Warriors-Rockets matchups.