of golden state warriors It's sinking fast, and it looks like this series' dynasty is coming to an abrupt end. On Thursday, Golden State lost to the Denver Nuggets on an absolutely incredible Nikola Jokic 3-point heave at the buzzer after blowing an 18-point lead in the final seven minutes. With this loss, the Warriors now have a total of 16 wins and 18 losses. If the season ended today, Golden State would miss the Western Conference play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs.
It's been a frustrating year for the Warriors since the start. Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney all look washed up. Draymond Green has been sidelined after receiving multiple suspensions for choking Rudy Gobert and punching Jusuf Nurkic in the head. Chris Paul has been helpful in bit parts, but the 38-year-old is no savior. Stephen Curry is still a great player, but even he's fallen a little bit in the standings. This may be the first year that I feel Steph isn't a top-five player overall, and he wasn't even in the top 10 of the MVP rankings. Basically it's going to be a great year for everyone else.
With the collapse against the Nuggets, the Warriors appear to be over the edge. After the game, reports emerged that Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody (the team's two 2021 lottery picks) were not satisfied with their roles and were seeking further clarification.
Source: Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. was asked directly about the organization's plans with the intention of finding a more consistent role for Moses Moody.
The third-year wing is out of the rotation and has a DNP-CD for the second year in a row.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) January 4, 2024
According to an article by The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Kuminga has “lost faith in coach Steve Kerr, and the 2021 lottery pick is confident that Kerr will maximize his potential.” “I no longer believe that he will be able to demonstrate his full potential.” Kuminga had a good performance against the Nuggets with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 19 minutes, but did not play in the fourth quarter. The Warriors built a massive lead in the fourth quarter without Kuminga on the floor, but the lead was broken while Kuminga remained on the bench.
Moody did not play against Denver. The winger is shooting just 33 percent from deep this year, but he's been seeing consistent minutes and has shown some improvement overall.
The Warriors acquired three lottery picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, giving them a great opportunity to expand their championship reach. James Wiseman made a huge mistake with the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, but the next year the Warriors gave up Franz Wagner and selected Kuminga with the No. 7 pick. Wiseman has already been out of the picture since being traded at last year's deadline. Will Kuminga and Moody be next?
Kerr has been under fire here for failing to develop Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody. To me, it's more about the front office than the coach with four championship rings.Wiseman was a terrible pick, Kuminga was This year as well, we are 13th in the team in all-in-one index BPM. I'll always be a fan of Moody's game, even as his play improves, but he's a high-tier complementary player at best.
Kerr has had no problem trusting the good young players on his roster. If there's a silver lining for the Warriors this year, it's the play of rookies Brandin Podzemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. So far, both look like draft-day steals for new Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., playing well for a total of 50 minutes in the loss to Denver.
Does Carr not trust Kuminga and Moody because he has lost touch? Or does he not trust them because they are not good enough? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but the truth is that Wiggins, Thompson, and Looney all look very faded at the moment, so giving Kuminga and Moody more chances wouldn't be a bad thing.
It appears the versions of Wiggins and Looney that helped the Warriors win the title in 2022 will not return. Thompson is also clearly past his prime, but can still provide spacing and shooting on the right night. If the Warriors want to salvage the last great years of Curry's career, they need a trade in the worst possible way. Could Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso be Golden State's answer? Both seem like great fits. Pascal Siakam is also a name on the trade block and could be a big help for Golden State in making another push in the West.
It's been clear for years that the Warriors' “two timelines” plan was a spectacular failure — and the Warriors admitted that by trading Wiseman. Kuminga and Moody are expected to be extended in the offseason, but the team still doesn't know much about their abilities. The pressure is on Kerr and Dunleavy to right the ship. As it stands, Golden State only has teams below .500, so a bold trade is probably the only answer at this point.
