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In the midst of a subpar 2024-25 NBA season, should the Warriors wave the white flag?
Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports believes Golden State should do more than that, arguing it's time for the Warriors to move on from franchise cornerstones Steph Curry and Draymond Green -- and proposing a handful of trades for them to do so -- in his latest column.
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It’s time for the Warriors to BLOW IT UP. New column on @YahooSports: https://t.co/lgQlUzUFvE
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 21, 2025
O'Connor points to the Boston Celtics' rise as the blueprint for such a rebuild, citing the team's Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trades in return for a bevy of picks as a gamble that paid off in the form of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and a consistent presence atop the NBA.
"A lot of teams wouldn’t have had the guts," O'Connor wrote. "Most franchises would’ve held on to Pierce until he was wheezing his way to 3.2 points per night, all in the name of loyalty, nostalgia and PR optics. The Celtics didn’t want to repeat history from two decades prior when they clung to Larry Bird and Kevin McHale for too long. ...
"Bird and McHale were falling apart physically in the early 1990s. Pierce and Garnett were still competitive when they were dealt in 2013, but their play was regressing and the team was getting worse. That’s why the Celtics cut ties before things got ugly. Sure, it pissed off fans and local media. But it worked."
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O'Connor lists five potential Green trades and three potential Curry trades, all of which set Golden State up for the future as both four-time NBA champions grow older -- yet remain great on the court. Each deal includes a bevy of NBA draft picks and sets the table for what O'Connor believes is a necessary rebuild.
"Trading Steph and Draymond isn’t an easy conversation, but it’s a necessary one," O'Connor wrote. "The Celtics had it in 2013 with Pierce and KG and are still reaping the rewards. The Warriors have to decide if they’re ready to do the same -- or if they’re content watching the dynasty crumble in slow motion."
Most of Dub Nation certainly agrees that trading Curry would be ludicrous, and Green's importance to the franchise can't be understated. But O'Connor believes it would be a "disservice" to fans if Warriors owner Joe Lacob doesn't listen should a team with a treasure chest of picks come knocking at the NBA trade deadline.