After bidding adieu to the playoffs, Stephen Curry and Co. are making plans to prepare for next season. However, the winds seem to not be favoring the Warriors with their lottery for securing Top 4 picks at 3.8%. Their first-round pick is Top 4 protected and it will go to the Portland Trail Blazers unless it lands in the Top 4. That does box them with a few names. And with Klay Thompson likely on the periphery, Reed Shephard could be the one the Dubs go after.
Though Klay might be offered a contract extension, his chances of leaving the Bay Area are higher for a bigger role and wage. Recently, owner Joe Lacob mentioned that the Dubs are looking to avoid the luxury tax after years of being a repeat offender. SEC’s top freshman this year, Reed Sheppard, might land his spot. The Kentucky Wildcats Guard has entered the NBA draft this year, as he announced last month. So the Warriors might be looking to get him to plug in the position of shooting guard. However, he is not the only top prospect for the Warriors to choose from.
With the NBA draft set for June 26, unexpected turnovers are always possible. Therefore, top picks like Frenchmen Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr might also land their place at the Dubs. But the possibilities of such a catch for the Warriors are dim; as per several projected drafts, Risacher could go No.1 overall and might join the Pistons, with the highest top-draft pick odds. On the other hand, the 7-footer Alexandre Sarr is expected to join the Wizards. With such compromising positions, Steph Curry and his Warriors squad have only got hope from Reed Sheppard.
What exactly do Steph Curry and the Warriors need?
With a league eventually getting shifted towards younger counterparts, the Dubs team is quite old. The average age of the Warriors’ projected lineup is 33 years old, which ultimately leads to the cause of their injuries. Even players like Stephen Curry are unable to give their all because of various shortcomings. He has hardly played more than 65 games in the last four seasons. The trio of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry might break soon.
Considering such positioning, the Warriors might be looking for a young prodigy around whom they can build a young and explosive team. For now, the Dubs have only Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney on their roster, who can be termed the youngest on the team. Nevertheless, one of them also might be given up because of the luxury tax trouble mentioned above. There are rumors that the Memphis Grizzlies could acquire Looney this summer.
Overall, the young gun trouble is not leaving the Warriors, and Stephen Curry needs a break from the plethora of responsibilities on his shoulders. Therefore, it might be most suitable for Stephen Curry and Co. to look for players who can share the burden of scoring the baskets on the court and defending the rim. In a bizarre development, LeBron James was also linked to them, after the Lakers also had a pretty under-par season.
