Warriors have quietly had a strong summer, but Lauri Markkanen would put them back in title contention

The Golden State Warriors continued their quietly strong summer with a sign-and-trade with the Sixers for Buddy Hield on Thursday, replacing, at least one paper, some of the shooting hole left by the departure of franchise legend Klay Thompson. 

You might be surprised to hear this, but the only player to make more 3-pointers than Hield’s 1,924 since 2016-17 (Hield’s rookie year) is Curry. Hield has made at least 260 3-pointers in a single season five times. Once again, only Curry has done it more times (10). Klay Thompson has only done it four times.

Hield is not even close to what Thompson was in his prime, so let’s not even go there. Yes, his shooting is, or at least has been, historic, and the pairing with Curry is going to invite the Splash Brothers comparisons (Splash Buddies is just waiting to pop). But Hield is about as one dimensional as a player can get. He can’t handle. Can’t create. Can’t defend. 

What Hield is, really, is what the Warriors wanted Thompson to be at this stage of his career: A shooter off the bench who will have his nights but is not a core scorer, only they get Hield for a whole lot less money ($21M guaranteed over three seasons) than Thompson, who got $50M from Dallas, would’ve cost. 

It’s one of a handful of smart moves Mike Dunleavy Jr. has made in his two summers as Golden State’s general manager, having taken over for Bob Myers in May of 2023. Dunleavy hit on both draft picks last summer with Brandin Podziemski, who was first-team All-Rookie this past season, at No. 18 and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who helped unlock Golden State’s defense later in the season, at No. 57. 

After that, Dunleavy salary dumped Jordan Poole for Chris Paul, who was thought to be a major trade chip this summer. When the Warriors let him walk for nothing, it seemed, at first, like a missed opportunity, but Dunleavy instead focused on cutting salary to get below the tax line — by letting Thompson and Paul walk without taking back money — and to open up options for sign and trades and mid-level exceptions, which they have…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/warriors-have-quietly-had-a-strong-summer-but-lauri-markkanen-would-put-them-back-in-title-contention/

Author : Brad Botkin

Publish date : 2024-07-05 14:29:26

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