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Well, if it wasn't clear before, it's certainly clear now: the Golden State Warriors need Klay Thompson.
Now, let's be clear here: Golden State only goes as far as Stephen Curry takes them. No doubt they would be right back in the basement, gunning for a second-straight top-five pick this draft if it wasn't for Steph's MVP-caliber efforts this season.
However, this season should show everyone how underrated Klay has been to the Warriors over his time with them. As low maintenance as Steph is, Klay is even more so but is no less talented for it. His shooting touch and constant heat check status are what make the Warriors' offense so punishing. He is also the key to the Warriors' switchable defense, especially on the perimeter since Draymond Green's athletic decline.
Without Thompson, the Warriors look like they are treading water. They're doing that in the West, which is admirable, but best believe that they are tempted to try and make a move now and salvage Steph's prime. After all, who knows when, or if, the Splash Brothers will ever reunite on the court?
But if Bob Myers is to start wheeling and dealing, care is paramount to make sure that the Warriors' future is not jeopardized in the name of current improvement. More importantly, while the idea of a shiny new toy is nice, Golden State should learn from its mistakes in D'Angelo Russell and Andrew Wiggins to not gamble for overpriced player projects, especially on the wings.
Want specifics? Let's get specific. These are the biggest trade mistakes Golden State needs to avoid.
Warriors dealing James Wiseman
Imagine that you are in San Antonio in 1996-97. Your star and centerpiece, David Robinson, goes down for all but six games for the season, and you have the opportunity to immediately give him a game-changing running mate in this year's draft: Tim Duncan.
The next year, Duncan and Robinson are more than serviceable, bringing your team back into the playoff hunt.
The riddle is: ride and develop Duncan? Or capitalize on his stock and trading him for some complimentary wing talent to fit Robinson?
If the answer seems like a ‘no duh' answer to you (it should), then you should agree with this: Golden State should not, by any means, trade James Wiseman.
Yes, he is young. Yes, he is raw. Yes, he has already been injured. But his ceiling in a Steph Curry-led offense is that of a straight-up All-Star. He is absurdly long, wildly bouncy, and is very skilled for his size. In fact, his jumper reaches out to 15 feet, and his form suggests he could stand to expand his range a good bit. His instincts are beautiful on defense, and it is always a good problem to have a player that is too energetic and block-happy rather than no.
It is tempting to capitalize on Wiseman's value while he is a relatively cheap rookie that shows such promise. But he is the best true big Golden State has had since Andrew Bogut already as a rookie (no, Jordan Poole does not count). Imagine the Warriors' offense, but with a potentially prime DeAndre Jordan-level rim runner. That can also shoot. Now picture that same athlete on defense, and add an actual motor. Yikes.
That is what the Warriors are giving up if they deal with Wiseman: their present and future.
“Upgrading” Kelly Oubre, Jr.
Remember the whole James Wiseman rank a few minutes ago? Same thing here.
Kelly Oubre, Jr. is by no means a superstar. But as he has demonstrated with his time in both Phoenix and Golden State, he is a wildly valuable and talented energy talent. In him, Golden State has its own version of mid-90's Nick Anderson. Anderson was never an All-Star, but he was a key player on two championship contenders in Orlando. And most importantly, he knew his role.
Oubre knows that he is nowhere near the shooter or shot maker that Steph (or Klay) is, nor the playmaker that Draymond Green is. So he accepts his role as a streaky shooting dynamo of energy. At least on defense and on loose balls, Oubre has been a decent Thompson corollary in the latter's absence and is grit and heart personified for this team. Even better, after a slow start to the season, his shooting has also picked up the pace to match his energy on the other end.
Move him to the three as a more dynamic 2015-16 Harrison Barnes when Klay comes back, and you have a more mobile perimeter threat than you did back then if Klay is at least 70% of who he was before the injuries set in.
And, best of all, he's cheap. Andrew Wiggins is probably the more talented offensive piece, but at double the price of Oubre, ‘probably' simply does not cut it. Especially if Wiggins has still yet to use his similarly superior athleticism to be anything but mediocre on defense. Deal him instead.
Oh, wait, teams are more interested in Oubre than Wiggins? Gee, wonder why.
Buying Brands
So, if Golden State looks around the league, no doubt they are fuming with jealousy at their lack of name recognition. Sure, they have Steph Curry and Draymond Green, but both have been working back from relative obscurity since they were outside of the spotlight last season.
In a word, these Warriors are missing juice.
And what a time to be missing it. Brooklyn is spending for free agents left and right (where do they keep finding money?), the Lakers seem to be in the mix for LaMarcus Aldridge, Hassan Whiteside, and Andre Drummond, and the Rockets and Indiana have also been the beneficiaries/partners of the Nets' wheeling and dealing.
If the Warriors are looking at this, no doubt they want a splashy name too!
But, they need to remember their roots.
Both of the mistakes to avoid that have already been talked about address this, to a degree. Wiseman and Oubre, if they play their cards right, can make it so they are remembered as Warriors when they eventually hang up their sneakers. And for all of their star power, Golden State needs to remember where they got their stars.
While they were talented, Steph and Klay were not labeled as can't-miss prospects. When Golden State let Monta Ellis unlock Steph's scoring, fans went ballistic. When they turned down Kevin Love from Minnesota because they couldn't let go of Klay, fans went ballistic. Draymond Green came from nowhere, Iguodala, Livingston, and Bogut were washed.
And yet.
Golden State's empire was not built on ‘big names', at least not at first. They were built on brilliant pieces and projects stitched together into the most beautiful whole since Jordan's Bulls. And in Wiseman and Oubre, they have the chance to reload in the exact same way. Wiseman is another game-changing talent just waiting to be developed. Oubre is the ride-or-die glue guy that they have been missing since Iguodala left. All the pieces are there if they believe that Klay can come back. And why can't he? His game isn't predicated on athleticism, and his defense is team and read-based. The Warriors are poised to come back as an absolute ‘no weakness' force next season.
All they need to do is not screw it up.
