Tyrell Terry looks to make an impact in Golden State
Oakland, CA - Another game, another loss. This time it came at the hand of the Houston Rockets as the Warriors lost 110-102. It's something fans have become used to this season, as the Warriors find themselves with a 13-44 record. That is only worse than the Indiana Pacers who sit at 12-45 (after starting a horrendous 0-17). The Warriors finished 35-47 last season, losing in the play-in. With an aging roster, it was decision time to either try to build from some youth or make some moves for other veterans. Ultimately, Golden State decided to go the rebuild route and kept their draft picks last season while exercising some patience.
As the season progressed, the Warriors made it well known that there veterans were available for a reasonable price. Some of the contracts made it difficult to get deals done, but in the end they feel pretty good about where they sit going into the draft this offseason. Let's take a look at the four in-season trades the Warriors made:
Golden State trades PJ Dozier to Charlotte for Jaylen Adams and 4 instructions
This was probably the hardest trade the GM ever made. There were some tough ones previously such as trading Chimezie Metu or Kris Dunn, but Dozier was the face of Golden State for over a decade. He led the Warriors to multiple playoff runs, including a couple close Finals matchups. The 32 year old saw his ratings decline in the offseason, and was owed approximately $40 million for the next two seasons. Selfishly I wanted to see Dozier play his entire career in Golden State, but I also wanted to see if there was a better opportunity for him that also helped out our team. There was very little interest due to his age, but the Hornets were able to strike a deal sending vet Jaylen Adams to Golden State. The main difference here is that Adams is an expiring contract, adding to the cap flexibility this offseason. Dozier has played well in Charlotte, helping the Hornets to a 34-22 record while posting a stat line of 20.2 ppg and 6.1 rpg.
Golden States Ashton Hagans to Philadelphia for Nadir Hifi, 2035 1st Round Pick (ATL), and 2 instructions
Hagans came to Golden State as one of the key members of the Ky Bowman trade. As a young playmaker, he saw success in his first half season with the Warriors averaging 12.0 ppg, 9.8 apg, and 4.6 rpg. This season though, he struggled out of the gate and saw his efficiency and overall production drop. Going into a contract year, the Warriors were getting a little iffy about possibly having to pay him big bucks with so many question marks. In return for Hagans, we received a sparingly played guard in Hifi as well as a future 1st round pick; albeit a later one most likely. Hagans has since been traded again to Houston and will look to rebound after a rough stint in Philadelphia. Hifi meanwhile has been given an opportunity to start as the Warriors try to figure out what he can offer. The undersized shooting guard has scored 12.6 ppg on a 53% TS. There's limitations to his game, especially defensively, but Hifi will continue to get a shot the rest of this season.
Golden State Trades Caleb Swanigan, Desmond Bane, 2036 2nd Round Pick to Minnesota for Dedric Lawson and Shareef O'Neal
This may be one of the more intriguing trades the Warriors have made in recent memory. Swanigan was another piece from the Bowman deal and he enjoyed a lot of personal success in Golden State starting majority of his games. The Warriors were able to leverage the absurd amount of cap space they have this offseason to absorb Dedric Lawson's contract while getting another young prospect in O'Neal, who the team was looking at before drafting Bronny James. Lawson obviously wasn't happy about the move going to a bottom dweller team nearing the end of his prime, but the Warriors could very well flip him this offseason for different assets. O'Neal meanwhile has some similarities to Kavion Pippen whom the Warriors were extremely high on going into the draft and will play out the rest of the season along side Bronny in Santa Cruz.
Golden State Trades Nimrod Levi and JT Thor to Toronto for Tyrell Terry, Mikal Bridges, 3 2nd Round Picks
There's always those players that you draft and feel connected to. Levi is one of those examples after being drafted 14th overall years back. The Warriors brought him back on a great long-term contract, but due to breaking some promises of success he's been demanding a trade since last season. In return the Warriors received polarizing young guard Tyrell Terry who is just 21 years old despite being in his fourth season. Terry is an efficient playmaker, but struggles on defense. Bridges will provide the Warriors with more cap relief after taking on Lawson, and the three 2nd round picks could be used to acquire instructions to further develop their young players down the road.
Overall the Warriors have done a fairly poor job of managing their team since their successful days. An aging Kris Dunn really hurt the direction of the team, and not matching Midtgaard's max offer was probably a mistake. Nonetheless, the Warriors are enjoying a slow build and experimenting with younger players such as James, Terry, Nelson Jr, Milicic Jr, and O'Neal.
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