Dear esteemed members of Dub Nation HQ,
I hope this message reaches you well. We’re deep in the summer doldrums in between basketball play, a time when all the acquisitions have been acquired but before the teams come together to figure out exactly what they have.
Last season ended on an ignominious note, with Dillon Brooks victoriously ending Golden State’s year as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green wheezed to the finish line. No playoffs, and quite frankly, did any of us really want to see a wounded, weary Warriors get nailed to the cross by a very dominant Oklahoma City Thunder team? I’m all about We Believe but yeahhhh that’s a lot to deal with.
So when the offseason hit, there was a lotta hope that I had that the Dubs would pull off something splashy. Maybe LeBron and Anthony Davis? Maybe Kevin Durant? Maybe Giannis? At least Kawhi? And when Draymond Green opted out and put up the Bat Signal on his social media, I just knew a master plan was afoot. Remember what I wrote at the time:
The front office decided this was the week to remind everyone why this franchise never really sleeps. Draymond Green turned down his $27.6 million player option Monday morning, and that single decision tells you almost everything about where this front office’s head is at right now. Green doesn’t walk away from guaranteed money unless there’s a bigger plan already in motion, and league sources confirmed that’s exactly what’s happening. The Warriors are lining up a real pursuit of LeBron James in free agency, and they’re exploring a trade for Anthony Davis, all in the same week.
But now we’re about to hit Labor Day, annnnnd it’s a wrap with no crazy splash. Check out the update:
Key additions: Yaxel Lendeborg, Brandon Williams, Georges Niang
Key subtractions: Quinten Post, Pat Spencer
Key retentions: Draymond Green, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Payton II, De'Anthony Melton
Now you know me: I’m the King of Receipts. I’ve been blessed to immortalize in writing the spirit of this fanbases for a decade. We need to check in and get a snapshot of DNHQ’s vibe right now. How pleased are you with how this offseason went?
Are you at peace? Are you enraged? Are you not mad, just disappointed? Let me know!
D for disappointed. Rats.
C. There were a lot of stupid things that they could have dabbled in (hitching the franchise to injury-prone AD, for example) but didn't. Yaxel was probably the right draft pick, although we won't really know for a number of years. But not taking a swing in Steph's final years, as vignette notes below, makes it hard to give a grade higher than a C.