The Golden State Warriors' title defense last season was basically doomed before it tipped off. Draymond Green's punch to Jordan Poole was just the most combustible among a host of looming internal issues, all at least somewhat related to the “disease of more” so many teams face after raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Poole is gone now, replaced by Chris Paul—just like Stephen Curry, Green and Klay Thompson, another aging future Hall-of-Famer dying to win the championship in 2023-24. James Wiseman is  also out, while a young, inexperienced Golden State bench has been revamped to feature stalwart veterans like Dario Saric and Corey Joseph. Even the Warriors' rookies, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, play the type of team-dependent style that would make them seamless additions to Steve Kerr's rotation if called upon.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. is the architect behind that offseason overhaul, one the Dubs' newly minted general manager believes will pay major dividends on this team's quest for a remarkable fifth championship in 10 seasons.

“I think the biggest difference hopefully will be some connectivity, a little bit more connectivity. Steve's talked about it. Last year's team just didn't get off to the right start in many ways—record-wise and all of the other stuff that went on. It just felt like we never got off the ground,” Dunleavy told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic on The TK Show. “We'll have to gel some for sure. We've got guys back that are comfortable with each other, but I think there's just a renewed sense of optimism and energy. Some of that's just with the page turned to the next season, and some of that I think is just with some roster adjustments. So I think we're all confident with where we're at, we gotta go out there and play the games and see what happens.”

After they were dispatched by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, Kerr admitted what seemed obvious to anyone keeping a close eye on his team during a tumultuous 82-game grind. The Warriors were “maxed out” and “not a championship team” in 2022-23, a predictable result of internal strife, an ever-changing rotation and a rash of injuries to key contributors.

Golden State only has much control over player health, and will enter next season as one of the oldest teams in basketball. The injury bug may bite often again, keeping the Dubs from gaining the on-court chemistry and continuity that's been a hallmark of their title teams.

But “connectivity” and togetherness toward a common goal won't be the Warriors' problem, assuming Paul—in the true twilight of his career at 38—buys into whatever supporting role is made for him. Whether Golden State has the talent to re-emerge as a top-tier championship contender during the last legs of its dynasty, though, is another matter entirely.