The Golden State Warriors have missed the NBA playoffs for two straight years now, but the organization is hoping that 2021-22 will ultimately break that unfortunate streak.
Part of the issue has been injuries. Two years ago, both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were sidelined. Last season, it was just Thompson.
The other problem has been poor decision-making by the front office. Golden State had the opportunity to add the reigning Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball to the roster in the draft, but instead opted to select James Wiseman with the second overall pick.
This season, the Warriors will aim to rectify last year’s errors by making better use of the Nos. 7 and 14 picks they own in the 2021 NBA Draft. The hope is that they will be able to utilize those assets in getting Curry some help.
As noted by Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors have a pretty clear-cut Plan A that they hope to implement over the next couple of months.
“According to a league source, the Warriors’ ‘Plan A’ is to package the Nos. 7 and 14 selections for a starting-caliber player in his prime,” he reported.
This coincides with recent comments made by Draymond Green, who suggested a blockbuster trade could be on the horizon.
“There’s definitely some really good talent in this draft,” he told the media this week. “There’s also some good talent in this league. So we’ll see what happens.”
Thus far, the Warriors have been linked to two blockbuster trades: one with the Philadelphia 76ers and the other with the Portland Trail Blazers. Whether either actually comes to fruition remains to be seen.
Curry, meanwhile, has been fairly blunt about his future with the Warriors, but that hasn’t stopped certain teams from poking around and trying to recruit him.
One way or another, this promises to be an interesting next few months for the Warriors. What happens now will shape the franchise’s fortunes for the next decade to come.
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