Steve Kerr has made it abundantly clear since training camp tipped off in Hawaii on October 1st. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are the new-look Golden State Warriors' only cemented starters leading up to the regular season. The other three spots in the Dubs' opening lineup, he swears, are truly up for grabs.
Halfway through Golden State's exhibition slate, Kerr has certainly lived up to his word. The Warriors started their third different lineup in as many preseason games on Friday against the Sacramento Kings, putting Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Kyle Anderson on the floor for tipoff alongside Curry and Green.
That oddball quintet no doubt excites Moody's staunchest believers and owns a blend of intuitive two-way playmaking that intrigues basketball nerds. But it'd be pretty surprising if just one of Moody, Payton and Anderson started on opening night, let alone all three of them. With just less than two weeks before the 82-game grind begins, the Warriors are simply exploring different player combinations on a roster that goes 12-deep with viable rotation players.
“I love Gary with Steph. Traditionally in their time together, they are one of our best two-man combinations. So I wanted to see what it looked like with Gary in the starting lineup,” Kerr said during pregame media availability, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Moses has had a great camp, and I really wanted to reward him for his play. Obviously he compliments those guys with his shooting. And then I think it's interesting just to see what it looks like with Kyle and Draymond together because of their playmaking ability and defensive acumen.
“So, yeah,” he continued. “Just taking a look.”
Warriors' wealth of quality depth begs for consolidation trade
The Western Conference is more loaded than ever. Golden State lacks the top-end talent of several other teams currently outside the championship picture that are fighting to avoid not just the play-in tournament, but making it that far altogether. The Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz are the only ones who would be disappointed by finishing outside the top-10 in the West by season's end.
Golden State needs to scrape its peak in 2024-25 to reach even second-tier contender status, basically, and the versatility so much quality depth can provide is key to that hopeful development. Kerr definitely hasn't forgotten about the value of Strength in Numbers. Preseason games are a perfect opportunity for the Dubs to try and find the special chemistry and continuity that propelled them to titles in 2015 and 2022.
But Curry and Green aren't in their playing primes or early 30s anymore, and Klay Thompson plays for the Dallas Mavericks. There is no version of Andre Iguodala on this team. The Andrew Wiggins who outplayed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the line two years might not exist anymore.
Can Golden State's current whole really be that much more than the sum of its parts this season if Curry and Green aren't worthy candidates for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year? The answer seems clear barring star turns from Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski, the prized young players who general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. refused to include in offseason trade discussions for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George.
At Media Day, Curry didn't exactly push back on the notion of the front office trying for another major win-now trade approaching the February 6th trade deadline. Kerr can't play a 12-man rotation, and admitted before Friday's game that he wants a solidified starting five over one that changes on a nightly basis come the regular season.
“Everything got pushed back a little bit with [Andrew Wiggins'] absence because he factors into this, so we just have to kinda take it game-by-game for now,” he said. “But we want a starting lineup to form and to establish some continuity for sure.”
Having too many quality players might be a good problem right now, but it's also an issue the Warriors would be wise to address before the trade deadline.
Kuminga, Podziemski and Moody are objectively attractive trade chips league-wide. Melton, Anderson and Hield—who aren't trade eligible until December 15th—would be solid acquisitions for almost any contender, and could also serve as financial ballast to bring back a bigger salary via trade. Payton and Kevon Looney's contracts could come in handy there, too. A two-way wing who's recently played at Wiggins' level on the game's brightest stage isn't completely dead money, and the Warriors swear he's primed for a bounce-back campaign anyway.
Golden State doesn't just need a consolidation trade to give Curry a puncher's chance of competing another championship. For the growth of young players and comfort for veterans, the Warriors' obvious roster surplus warrants that type of deal all by itself, too.