After a blazing 12-3 start to the new season, the Golden State Warriors have come crashing down to Earth in brutal fashion. The franchise continues to operate in flux, with the Warriors claiming to be prioritizing Stephen Curry’s remaining career yet refusing to part with any of their young talent. Chandler Parsons isn’t sure what Golden State can do to stop their free fall through the Western Conference standings.
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The Dubs, now sitting at 16-16 and 10th in the West, are quickly running out of time to put together one more run around their aging superstar. Parsons doesn’t know how the Warriors can effectively remedy their struggles. “We talk about maximizing Steph Curry. I don’t know what the move is,” the nine-year veteran said on FanDuel TV’s Run it Back.
Parsons did mention the possibility of Golden State moving off Andrew Wiggins’ annual $26 million cap hit, but the 36-year-old doesn’t think the Warriors have enough assets to revive their contention status. He listed several trade candidates that could help the team, but underlined how the Dubs were already expected to be mediocre this year.
“Does like a Zach Lavine or Jimmy Butler, do they even move the needle and make them a contender right now this year?” Parsons continued. “I think they make [Golden State] better… But this is kinda who we thought they were.”
The Dubs’ continued struggles have made many realize that Curry is no longer capable of being the lone superstar on a championship team. The 36-year-old still ranks among the league’s most dominant point guards, but without a co-star to shoulder some of the offensive load, defenses are able to key in on the two-time MVP. As a result, the Warriors have been involved in trade rumors for several outlandish names.
Golden State’s struggles have resulted in bizarre trade rumors
As both of them continue to produce in the twilight of their careers for borderline playoff teams, there have been whispers of LeBron James waiving his no-trade clause in order to team up with Steph in Oakland. These discussions came amidst difficulties for both the Warriors and the Lakers, prompting fans to believe the duo could still contend if they played together. Obviously, this would be one of the biggest transactions in NBA history, but it’s hard to see either of the future Hall of Famers ditching their current squads.
In a somewhat less bizarre connection, the Warriors have also been linked to high-flying big man Zion Williamson. On paper, the 24-year-old would be a dream pick-and-roll partner for Curry, but his lingering injury history has made Williamson a much less desirable trade candidate. It’s hard to see any team taking a huge gamble on Pelicans star right now.
The Warriors still clearly need to make a move if the team hopes to continue to tread water in the playoff race, though. The team will have a little over a month to decide what’s next before the NBA trade deadline on February 6.
