Three Players The Warriors Should At Least Kick The Tires On This Summer
After finally flaming out against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors have many questions to answer this offseason. Will Draymond Green be back? Does Klay Thompson have any gas left in the tank? Everybody not named Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, and Gary Payton II could be on the chopping block, even those mentioned could be except Curry.
A couple of things became apparent in this playoff run. While Looney is a great piece to have and should be kept, the Warriors need a true big man, something they’ve seemed to lack for the entirety of this dynasty run. The bench also underperformed in the playoffs. The Warriors didn’t seem to have one guy who could come off the bench and be consistent. If Steve Kerr and the Warriors want to get this thing back up and running, they need a big man to help Looney out.
Julius Randle
After a lackluster playoff run from Julius Randle, it seems like he is over New York just about as much as they are over him. Knicks fans have been relentlessly bashing Randle for the past couple of weeks. Will he ask to be moved? The Knicks could gather some good assets for him. The Warriors should be on the phone right now to inquire.
Orange Julius is coming off a season that saw him finish 13th in the league in Points Per Game with 25.1 and ninth in Rebounds Per Game with 10. Randle made the All-Star game and went on to be named to the All-NBA Second Team. The 28-year-old has spent time in Los Angeles after they spent the seventh overall pick in 2014 on him and one weird year in New Orleans before his four years in New York. He’s a big man that can shoot the three-ball, posting a 33.6% three-point percentage this year, spacing that Steve Kerr would surely love.
Karl Anthony-Towns
After reports that the Minnesota Timberwolves want to move on from Karl Anthony-Towns and build around Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, KAT could be on the move. Maybe not the rim protector the Warriors could use, but still a great big that would also help spacing, just like Randle. The first overall pick in 2015 has spent all eight of his professional seasons in Minnesota, how sad.
The 2015-16 Rookie of the Year posted 20.8 points per game to go with 8.1 rebounds per game in a season that saw KAT appear in only 29 games due to injury. KAT is a three-time All-Star and has been named to the All-NBA Second Team twice in his career. At only 27 years old, he still has his best basketball in him, plus a possible reunion with Andrew Wiggins.
Kevin Love
While he’s not as sexy of a pickup as Randle or KAT, Kevin Love could be very viable for this Warriors team. He knows what the Warriors are all about. He ran into them enough on the biggest stage to understand how great they could be. What does every great team have? A good bench. Love could be a great addition to the Warriors’ second unit, providing three-point shooting and rebounding, plus who doesn’t love his long outlet passes? One of the prettiest plays in basketball.
Love has certainly taken a step back from what he used to be. The man who once got “The Stop” on Steph Curry to seal the NBA Championship in 2016 will be a free agent this summer, and who knows if retirement is on his radar yet. It still seems like the 34-year-old has some gas left in the tank. Love posted 8.2 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game on 38.9% from the field.
The 15-year veteran has seen it all in his career. He’s a five-time All-Star, making the All-NBA Second Team twice in his career. Love also went to UCLA, so coming back to California could be on his radar, unfortunately, a reunion with Lebron James could be on his mind.
This season marks the first time the Warriors lost in a playoff series that wasn’t the NBA Finals in 14 years. An incredible run for this core. The front office still thinks they can compete for championships, which they can. They just need to reload, rest up and get ready to return with a vengeance next season.
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