The Warriors are no longer friendly offseason: Myers' departure and Paul's arrival.
The 2023 offseason has been full of waves for the Golden State Warriors. The sudden decision of former team general manager Bob Myers to leave and join ESPN's NBA Countdown as an analyst is undoubtedly a huge loss for the team. Myers has built a dynasty for the Warriors in nearly a decade, and his talent and decisions have shaped the team's glory, and this farewell also marks the end of an era.
But it's worth noting that Myers' departure is not an isolated incident. The team's sluggish performance last season and the tensions within the locker room were the triggers for Myers' departure. This last straw was also the last link that destroyed him and the Warrior Dynasty.
In the wake of Myers' departure, new general manager Dunleavy Jr. took decisive steps to remove problem player Jordan Poole from the locker room and swapped him for veteran Chris Paul.
Despite the doubts about the deal, ESPN analysts are convinced that Poole is at the heart of the Warriors' future and that sending him away would be a trade that would be worth the cost. However, Warriors management made it clear that keeping Poole in place will not lead to good results, given the current state of the team. The deal at least stabilized the atmosphere in the locker room, which was the biggest bonus.
Not only that, but the trade with the Wizards also brought another bright spot – Chris Paul. Although he is no longer in his age, physical strength and injuries are the real challenges in the traditional point guard position. Paul recently posted a training session with his teammates, showing his amazing form, especially the impressive three-point shooting percentage, hitting again and again, and finally achieving a magnificent performance in a 9-game row. This shows that Paul is well aware of the Warriors' style of play, which focuses on three-point shooting, and he is working hard to improve his three-point shooting percentage to better suit the team's tactical needs.
However, when it comes to the contract extension of another star of the Warriors, Klay Thompson, the situation seems to be more complicated. Warriors owner Lacob revealed: "I'd like to be able to keep Klay, and at the moment our management team has had some brief discussions with his agent, but obviously Klay has his own considerations and decisions, and he feels that it is too early and is not in a hurry to renew his contract. It's September and we still have plenty of time to settle it out, his contract doesn't expire until next year and we've been expecting him to stay here for a long time, no doubt about it! "Clay may have been underwhelming last season, so he wants to stay on top of things with a good performance. Curry understands this, saying, "Obviously Dream and I are expecting Klay to stay here, we are all brothers, and if he can reach an early contract extension with the team, it will be great." However, we must also respect his ideas. ”