The Golden State Warriors will have to survive a transition 2019-20 season before they can put their handy tools to work again.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr explained how the team looks and works next season will largely depend on a series of variables that could help shape the roster, along with the system:
“I think we have to figure out, there's a lot to figure out between now and then and some of that is up to (general manager) Bob (Myers) and front office in terms of who we draft and who we sign, free-agency wise, and we'll see what that means,” said Kerr, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. ” As far as the current guys, we really like them.
“The guys that we brought in, Alec and Glenn, so who knows what our team is going to look like? So I don't think we can sit here right now and plan for next year and say this is our starting 3 and this is our starting 5, but what we do know is that, if we're healthy, we have a hell of a starting backcourt and a great power forward and that's a really good start to putting the puzzle together.”
Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III are two of the players who are potential trade cogs after Willie Cauley-Stein was already traded to the Dallas Mavericks last week.
If either or both of them are moved by the Feb. 6 deadline, the Warriors' bench could look a lot different next season:
“And then we have some pieces, we're going to have a high draft pick, we've got D'Angelo (Russell) who's having a hell of a year,” added Kerr. “We'd have to figure out how to best put all those pieces together and what it means in addition to whatever we're going to do personnel-wise. And that's why this season has been so much about trying to develop Jordan (Poole), Eric Paschall, Omari (Spellman), Marquese (Chriss), all these young guys, Jacob (Evans), in the hopes that as we look forward, several of them become part of our long-term plans.”
That is perhaps the Warriors' biggest problem, incorporating Russell (if they keep him) in with a backcourt duo that has worked to near-perfection in their recent years together.
Golden State has taken the liberty to do thorough evaluations on each of these players to assess if they're potential keepers. They clearly like Eric Paschall, Omari Spellman, and Marquese Chriss, and Jordan Poole is regaining his confidence after a foul start to the season. Should they play as well as they have this season, the Warriors could have a capable unit next season once Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are back in full gear.
