The Golden State Warriors were wiped out by the Sacramento Kings in the 9-10 play-in game on Tuesday night, 118-94, ending their 2023-24 campaign shy of the playoffs.
It’s the third time in five years that the Warriors have missed the playoffs, and this particular season feels like the dynasty is over and that changes are upcoming.
Klay Thompson has declined big time and will be a free agent this summer. Stephen Curry is 36 and has fewer “big games.” And Draymond Green’s suspensions were a huge reason why Golden State found itself in a win-or-go-home situation in the first place.
Those are a few reasons why the Warriors have fallen. There are more.
This team has not drafted well since the Big Three of Curry, Thompson, and Green arrived in the league. Yes, it is hard to hit on draft picks when you draft late due to your success. But Golden State has traded up in the draft a few times and missed on their selections (i.e. James Wiseman)
Head coach Steve Kerr, of course, doesn’t deserve all the blame.
Actually, Kerr deserves loads of credit for winning four titles and completely overhauling the culture of this organization. But he has not corrected current issues as this group has missed the postseason in three of the last five years.
It has been said you can’t beat “Father Time.” When you really think about the fact that the trio of Curry, Green and Thompson won its first championship together in 2015, this year’s result shouldn’t be all that surprising. Thompson is 34 and has both a torn ACL and Achilles in his history. Time also made the roster more expensive and more difficult to supplement. Winning at the highest level often leads to big contracts. The Warriors had to sign several. That led to big luxury-tax payments and the team often being limited to minimums and salary-cap exceptions for adding players.
Even Curry hasn’t been spared the eventuality of NBA aging.
In the mid-2010s, he was a perennial MVP and “best player in the league” candidate. Yes, he outperformed most players in league history in their age-35 season, but he’s no longer among the very best in the NBA.
Andrew Wiggins, when he was signed as a free agent, was supposed to be the guy to keep the dynasty going. At 29, he doesn’t really have the excuse of natural aging. He should be in the middle of his prime. He’s the team’s third-highest paid player and is not producing at that rate. Since the Warriors won their last title in 2022, Wiggins has become a below-average player statistically.
I would say that Draymond Green cost Golden State a playoff berth this season. When he was available, he played quite well. Even if he may be a half step slower than he was five years ago, his playmaking and three-point shot made him a plus on the offensive end of the floor, too. Unfortunately, his unpredictable behavior limited him to 55 games this season. After choking Rudy Gobert in November, he was suspended for five games. Less than a month after that ban ended, he smacked Jusuf Nurkić in the head and earned himself an indefinite suspension that kept him out till mid-January. In the 55 games he did play, Golden State went 33-22. That’s a 50-win pace, and that would’ve been enough to keep the Warriors out of the play-in tournament. For whatever reason, Green still can’t seem to manage his emotions well enough to be available for his team.
