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It is tough to summarize what Klay Thompson meant to the Golden State Warriors. In fact, even Stephen Curry and everyone within the walls of the organization have trouble expressing Thompson's value to the dynasty Golden State built. But the 2024-25 NBA season is less than a month away, and with training camp beginning, the Warriors have shifted their focus to the task at hand — remaining relevant in the championship conversation.
To say that the Warriors have been true title contenders over the last few seasons would be a stretch. The belief of winning still remains, yet struggles have loomed large over a franchise nobody could take down at full strength from 2015 to 2019. Although the Warriors have a championship banner from 2022 hanging in the rafters of Chase Center, a title only this team believed they could win, the last two seasons have been filled with more questions about the future constantly appearing.
Thompson is now gone, and with his departure for the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors are left having to find their identity. This is a position that the team found themselves in prior to the 2014-15 season, and it is a position the leaders of this team are comfortable in. That is one of the main reasons why the Warriors pursued All-Stars like Paul George and Lauri Markkanen so hard over the offseason.
Despite not landing a superstar in free agency or in offseason trade discussions, Curry believes the new-look Warriors can be a threat early on.
“If you're not the team that's holding the title at the end of the year, and I am sure they were even thinking about it, Boston was, you're always trying to get better,” Curry told reporters on Monday at Warriors' media day. “I think we are in that position where we can be a relevant team early and give ourselves a chance to compete and then assess where we are. That is what every team has to go through. We just have the shadow of the expectations that we are supposed to be in that (championship) conversation.
“I want to win, and I know everybody in that locker room wants to do their part to make that happen. That is how we are approaching the situation.”
The idea of the Warriors adding another star was the talk of the town throughout the summer. Thompson leaving left a bittersweet taste in the mouths of Golden State fans. At the same time, the idea of moving on to a new star next to Curry and Draymond Green was something that sounded much more appealing, especially if said player was George or Markkanen.
If there is one organization that has never been shy to leverage assets and make win-now moves on the trade market, it has been the Warriors. But that was under Bob Myers' leadership and not Mike Dunleavy Jr., who has done a fantastic job of filling the gaps that have existed on this roster. It is not easy to be a championship organization, and it is certainly not easy to accomplish the feat the Warriors did of winning four titles in eight years.
Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob have navigated major tax implications to put their team in a position to still compete at the highest level possible. This is something Curry and Green respect due to Dunleavy's creativity in adding proven, experienced players to the roster.
“I like the way Mike has done with reconfiguring the roster. I thought Mike and Joe, I guess the organization, did an incredible job of not panicking in a moment where you feel like, ‘Ah you missed out on a guy or two,'” Green said on Monday. “Everyone around has thoughts about what this team should look like, the makeup of the roster, who they think should be on the roster, and to see them stand pat and say, ‘No, we are going to pluck away. We are going to sign a Buddy Hield, we are going to sign a De'Anthony Melton, we are going to sign a Kyle Anderson, and just pluck away and chip away at it,' I thought that was incredible.
“Sometimes, the best deal you can make is to not make a deal. I think we did a great job at going out and getting pieces that are going to help this team grow. The future of this organization is as bright as it's ever been.”
New additions symbolic of the past
Change is inevitable every offseason for every single team in the NBA. Whether it is by way of trades or signings in free agency, every team always looks a little bit or a lot different when the new season begins.
The Warriors are certainly a different team than they were a season ago, as Chris Paul and Thompson have been replaced by more depth in the form of Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson. All three of these players joined Golden State in free agency, Anderson by way of a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the best thing about these new additions is that they bring veteran experience with them to a team that lacked true experience outside of their core last season.
When you look back at the Warriors' success throughout the last decade, it is clear to see that their championship journeys have not only been defined by the play of Curry, Thompson, and Green, but the veterans that filled key needs of the franchise off the bench.
Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Marreese Speights were the backbone of the team in 2015. Then there was David West, Nick Young, and JaVale McGee, who aided the team during their title runs in 2017 and 2018. In 2022, it was Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, and Gary Payton II that proved to be the spark this organization needed to once again reach championship glory.
As the Warriors prepare for the 2024-25 season, Curry recognizes a similar trend that Dunleavy and this team's front office have followed regarding Hield, Melton, and Anderson stepping in to fill the gaps.
“It's very similar for sure, that's a good comparison,” Steph stated regarding the comparison of this offseason's additions to those the Warriors made in 2022. “Guys that have been around the league in different situations and I think fit the style that we try to play even though we do need to evolve and have a different look on offense and defense. We've had two years of some stagnant ball at times, but still enough, we've been convinced that we can be a good team.”
Last season, the Warriors struggled with consistency. There was never any clarity on who was going to step up next to Curry on offense, and the team as a whole struggled to keep their opponents at bay defensively.
Curry and the Warriors changed the way teams around the league played. Now, it is Golden State's turn to adapt in order for their championship hopes to survive with their new group of veterans entering the mix.
“The good news is that I am coming into this training camp with an open mind,” Curry continued. “I know there is a Warrior mentality and culture of how we do things. There is a system that we have run for a decade-plus that has worked. But it doesn't necessarily mean that is how this team needs to play.
“Accept what this team's strengths and weaknesses are and lean into those. That's including our youth because we need them to play at an extremely high level for us to be the team that we want to be.”
How Warriors adjust to not having Klay Thompson
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Offense has always been where the Warriors dominate. Between Curry and Thompson hitting threes and the others being able to attack the paint on any given possession, there was a time when the Warriors were virtually impossible to stop. With Thompson not hitting his shots with consistency and Andrew Wiggins really struggling during the 2023-24 campaign, the Warriors were unable to find constant production next to Curry.
Now that Thompson is with the Mavs, the focus of attention for Golden State is now cast on Wiggins, as he is once again the key to them being able to remain in the championship picture.
“It is going to be different, for sure,” Wiggins confessed. “Off the court, Klay is a big presence. When you think about Golden State, you think about Klay, you think about Steph, and you think about Draymond. He will always be that guy. You know we are all going to miss him, and he's going to do great things over there.”
Wiggins is entering his sixth season with the Warriors, assuming you count the short stint he spent with the team after he was traded to Golden State from Minnesota during the 2019-20 season. Through the years, Wiggins has been a beacon of brilliance for the organization because of his two-way play. He was instrumental in the Warriors being able to win their championship in 2022 against the Boston Celtics.
Since that moment of winning a title and earning a $109 million contract extension, Wiggins has not been one of the most productive players on the team. This is due to a multitude of factors, none more than personal family issues that he has dealt with over the last two years. While it is always hard to move on from issues that exist off the court, Wiggins is determined to find himself again and be the All-Star talent he was during the 2021-22 season.
After all, the Warriors will be hosting the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, and Wiggins has made it his personal goal to earn his second All-Star honors this upcoming year.
Along with Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney also hold important roles as it relates to the Warriors as a whole improving during the 2024-25 season. Whereas Kuminga is continuing to grow as an athletic and lengthy two-way player on the wing entering his fourth season, Looney is set to see himself evolve into a different player as he enters his 10th season on the court with the organization.
While it may come as a surprise to many due to his presence in the paint, Looney is prepared to step out on the perimeter and show that he can do a lot more than score on the interior and rebound.
“I shot a lot more threes, probably 400 to 500 every day [in the offseason],” Looney explained. “In the past, I would shoot some, but that wasn't my focus. I would do just light spots.
“I'm not going to be out there hunting threes. I'm not going to be out there like Klay or somebody, but I just want to, when the time comes, space the floor and be able to make an open shot.”
It is worth noting that during his time at UCLA, Looney shot 41.5 percent from distance. The Warriors big man has not made a three-point shot since the 2020-21 season, but it certainly appears as if that is set to change entering the new year. Steve Kerr and Golden State have put a point of emphasis on having more versatile, well-rounded players, and Looney is going to do whatever it takes to remain in the nightly rotations and ensure success for his team.
There is that word again: success.
The only thing that matters to the Warriors as an organization is finding success, both now and well into the future. Trades could be made at some point, and the front office will always be evaluating possible moves that could be made, like what was done this offseason regarding George and Markkanen.
However, the Warriors believe that the moves made this offseason, regardless of losing Thompson in free agency, have set the course for what will be a successful 2024-25 season. After missing the playoffs last year and claiming an Olympic gold medal for the first time in his basketball career over the summer, Curry is determined to see his team when it matters most.
“All of my energy is spent on preparing myself to play at a very high level. To do my part because I am apart of this team to win. Everything else will reveal itself as time goes on.
“I’m very confident in the fact that being here and being a relatively winning team is possible.
