Despite being 11th in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors mostly stayed put at the deadline. Golden State did free up a roster spot by trading Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a second round pick, but they did not make the type of move that would project to turn around what has been a very disappointing season.
Via Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said, "We explored a lot and frankly there wasn't a lot out there that we thought could improve us significantly at an appropriate price."
This was always going to be the biggest challenge for Golden State, because while there were several theoretical fits on the trade market, many of those players were unaffordable for a team with limited assets. Unless Golden State was willing to part with one of their promising young pieces, a salary-filler package centered around Chris Paul and/or Andrew Wiggins was never likely to bring back much in return.
The Warriors have optimism that they can turn this season around despite not making any major moves, but there is certainly reasonable skepticism from the fanbase and others who simply do not see that coming with this group. That said, the Warriors now have what they have, and will look to make a push with their core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and others.
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