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Only one thing is clear after a wave of changes made through this free agency extravaganza in the summer — the Golden State Warriors won't be the same team you've seen in the last five years.
Much like any other dynasties, the Warriors have reached a point in which they will have to reset, pivot, and build around their new players to once again reach the point of prominence.
The departure of Kevin Durant created a gaping hole in the Warriors firepower, one they were able to salvage with the sign-and-trade acquisition of D'Angelo Russell, which brought its share of carnage alongside it. The Warriors became hard-capped after trading for Russell and consequently doling out a four-year, $117 million contract. As a result, they were forced to move one of their strongest veteran influences in Andre Iguodala, trading him to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Another veteran, Shaun Livingston, had the good-faith nature of re-working the terms to his contract to extend his $2 million guarantee deadline to July 10, which allowed the Warriors to maneuver all these contracts before he was waived by the team. Golden State plans to make payment on those $2 million over the next three years upon stretching his contract, now bound to pay $666,666 for each of the next three seasons.
Besides re-signing Klay Thompson to a five-year, $189.8 million deal and Kevon Looney to a three-year, $15 million pact, the Warriors will see plenty of new faces, as the likes of Andrew Bogut, DeMarcus Cousins, Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell, Jonas Jerebko, and Damian Jones (traded to the Atlanta Hawks) won't be there anymore.
Instead, the Warriors have opted to retool with Russell at the forefront, buying time for Thompson's recovery from an ACL surgery that should have him back by December at the earliest and by after the All-Star Game at the latest.
The new pieces should bring a different look to a familiar style that will now be forced to change a bit without a player of Durant's hierarchy in the lineup.
The Warriors acquire Willie Cauley-Stein, who is likely to start at center and be involved in heavy pick-and-roll action with the likes of Russell and Stephen Curry, while catching the eventual lob from Draymond Green.
Golden State made it a point to increase wing depth, adding former dunk champion Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks this summer, who should help hold down the fort while Thompson is sidelined.
More intriguing than ever is the effect that this 2019 NBA Draft will have for this team, as rookie Jordan Poole (28th pick) figures to be an immediate contributor, now in line for minutes after a fairly impressive showing in Summer League. Alen Smailagic (39th pick) figures to see some time in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors before getting his shot to play in the big league. Eric Paschall (41st pick) is the most experienced of the three selections and he's bound for some minutes backing up Draymond Green, boasting a similar mix of scoring, rebounding, and defensive capabilities.
The Warriors will no longer be a team shooting for the top of the Western Conference standings, but rather one hunting to stay in the playoff race, much like the 2012-13 iteration of this franchise.
The L.A. Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and the Portland Trail Blazers all figure to battle for the top four spots, and the Warriors could sneak in to the bottom two spots until Thompson returns, which could give them a major boost spreading the floor and adding a much-awaited 20-point scoring punch.
In short, these are no longer the dominant Warriors that can lolligag through the regular season and win close to 60 games — they will face a series of challenges to sniff the playoffs and will be forced to play the waiting game until they're at full force. Russell will have to adjust to a new system, as well as the addition of another proven scorer once Thompson comes back in the mix.
Stephen Curry will be asked to do more with his backcourt partner out and without another scorer like Durant, but don't expect him to relive the bombastic 2015-16 season that hailed him as a unanimous MVP, but rather a player that will see defenses converge on him at all times without another elite marksman to make them pay.
All in all, this will be a much different version of the Warriors that you have grown used to seeing in the recent past, maybe for the best — as change is the one thing we can count on in today's NBA.
