The Golden State Warriors are viewed by many as legitimate dark horse contenders in 2021-22.
If the team can get healthy and add just one more strong piece around Stephen Curry, it would immediately catapult them to the top of the West.
One player who has been linked to the Warriors a lot in recent weeks is disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.
Recently, Curry appeared on the “Brother from Another” podcast and offered his thoughts on whether Golden State should pursue Simmons.
“Let’s say, if you’re not having those conversations, you’re not trying,” Curry said. “Let’s put it that way.”
This is not the first time Curry has weighed in on what moves the Warriors should make to build out the roster around him. Sometimes the front office listens, other times it doesn’t.
Earlier this week, team owner Joe Lacob raised some eyebrows with his commentary on Simmons – earning a fine from the league in the process. That coupled with the fact that the Warriors opted to ‘hang up’ on the Sixers last time they had trade talks makes it seem like a deal between the two organizations may not be feasible.
If not Simmons, Golden State has also been linked to one other big-name pick-up – though it remains to be seen how big of a priority adding a prominent center actually is to them.
On Thursday, head coach Steve Kerr addressed that particular question with Tim Kawakami on the TK Show.
“I think the league has changed quite a bit,” he said. “I know if you look at our team historically over the last six, seven years, we’ve always carried a lot of centers. But think about the last part of last season, we played Draymond at five so much, we even played Juan at five. The league seems to be getting smaller and quicker every single year.
“So I think we’re less inclined to carry a bunch of centers like we used to. But really, if we had somebody in there who was playing well at that position and thought they could help us win, then we would keep that guy. It’s really still a matter of using training camp to figure out what makes the most sense for us.”
The Warriors will be an interesting team to keep an eye on. With a few minor tweaks, they could do some serious damage in the West next year. Will they actually make those tweaks, though? Time will tell.
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