The Warriors' biggest offseason need is clear

Not many teams in the Association have a frontcourt duo that can challenge OKC’s & Indiana’s. If the Warriors add a versatile center to pair up with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, they will have the opportunity to hold their own against any frontcourt. 

Green is an incredible player, a potential hall-of-famer, and he’s still performing at a high level, earning All-NBA Defensive First Team despite being 36 years old. 

Golden State knows it cannot get to where it wants to go if the veteran forward plays center all season, no matter how successful the lineup is night to night. 

“Around here, the buzzword is size. I’d love to have the ability to play bigger, with Draymond and Jimmy in the front court. We can always go to our ace in the whole with Draymond at the center,” Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said at his end-of-season news conference. 

After the Jimmy Butler trade, the Warriors were playing at an elite level with Curry, Butler and Green in the lineup, with Green at center. They had a winning percentage above .720 after February 8. 

Golden State is the team that has been the epitome of the small ball era in the NBA over the last 10 years, going to five NBA finals in eight years. The Warriors were dominant primarily utilizing a smaller lineup that can space the floor and switch on every position on defense, primarily with Green at the center position. 

Unfortunately for the Warriors and Green, other teams have caught up to their small-ball lineup. Versatile centers and power forwards who have supreme length and athleticism have been able to stymie Golden State's small-ball scheme.

With the evolution of the center position in today’s NBA, Dunleavy Jr. knows they need more length and size at the center. 

“I’d prefer not to have to play Draymond center for 82 games.” 

With front-court players like Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Alperen Sengun, Julius Randle, Kristaps Porzingis, Karl Anthony Towns and Myles Turner, Golden State needs to add a veteran center to help Draymond in the front court if it wants to be a legit title contender. 

Golden State’s top priority of the offseason must be to add a long, veteran big to take some of the workload off of Green’s plate next season. Not only will they save Green from injury by playing him fewer minutes at center, but they can also have him at his best when it matters the most: during the playoffs.