Joe Lacob still insists there was never a “two-timeline” plan with the Golden State Warriors. After a summer spent overhauling the roster to maximize the remainder of Stephen Curry's prime, though, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has essentially admitted the Warriors scrapped it.
“I really like the balance. I think it's got a good combination of veteran experience, a middle tier of guys that are good, they're tough, they're hungry, and we got some good young players,” the Golden State's rookie head decision-maker said on the latest edition of Dubs Talk. “And I don't think we have too many young players.”
The Warriors finally gave up on James Wiseman last season at the trade deadline, effectively swapping him for Gary Payton II. A few months later, Golden State traded Jordan Poole for Chris Paul, suddenly leaving the team without once-foundational building blocks of its post-dynasty existence.
Both moves are poised to ultimately save Lacob millions and millions in luxury-tax payments, increasing the Dubs' flexibility following the 2023-24 season and beyond. But it's also obvious Wiseman was never going to impact winning at the highest level with the Warriors, not to mention that Poole's tumultuous time in the Bay—through only partial fault of his own—needed to come to a close.
Instead of relying on a group of young players for rotation minutes this season, Golden State is trying to get back into top-tier title contention with a revamped supporting cast marked by veterans. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are the only players in Steve Kerr's top-nine who are younger than 28. Dario Saric is entering his eighth league go-around, while Cory Joseph has already played a full season's worth of playoff games across his career.
Lacob can bellow all he wants about the the media and fans fabricating his team's erstwhile strategy of dueling roster timelines. He openly gloated about its success after the Warriors won the title in 2022, telling Tim Kawakami on the The TK Show “now everyone thinks the [two-timeline thing] is brilliant because we won.”
Dunleavy doesn't seem as interested in parroting the company line. As a new season with new championship expectations fast approaches, he's optimistic Golden State righted roster construction wrongs of the past this summer.
“Perhaps in the past, maybe we've tried to overload it with some youth and I think we've gotten really good balance,” Dunleavy said. “We'll see going into the season, evaluate it and if we need to make changes we can. But I like where we're at heading into it.”
Follow Us
Subscribe