Warriors stand pat at NBA trade deadline, still believe they can make a playoff run

Sometimes at the NBA trade deadline, no move is the best move

The only trade the Golden State Warriors made prior to Thursday's deadline was to send Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers. No disrespect to Joseph, but that doesn't even qualify as a move. For all intents and purposes, Golden State will finish this season with its current roster before making what could be some difficult decisions this summer. 

Namely, what are they going to do with Klay Thompson?

Thompson was at least a candidate to be traded, if not a very serious one. The more likely player to get dealt was Andrew Wiggins, but he still has three years and $85 million on his contract and nobody was going to give up anything of value to tie themselves that money moving forward. 

Chris Paul, who's effectively on an expiring contract with no money guaranteed for next season, could've been moved. But again, for what? Paul would only represent the money in a deal. The asset(s) going out would've been draft picks or Jonathan Kuminga. 

Nobody on the market warranted the forfeiture of what could be highly valuable first-round picks in 2026 and 2028. And Kuminga has officially become too good to trade for anything less than an All-NBA return, which wasn't out there. 

Steve Kerr largely resisted playing Kuminga and Wiggins together for most of the season, but they have looked much better as a tandem with Draymond Green back alongside them. Thompson bounced back with a solid outing on Wednesday after being yanked from the closing lineup the game before. 

The consistency with this team isn't there anymore. The margin for error is completely gone. But the most optimistic upside remains if Wiggins, who had one of his best games of the season in Golden State's win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, rediscovers some semblance of his 2022 form and Thompson gets hot, which can still happen on any given night. He's still shooting 38% on almost nine 3-pointers per game. 

Throw in the return of Green (which at least buoys an otherwise sunk defense), the eventual return of Paul, and the promising emergence of Lester Quinones, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Gui Santos to go along with Brandin Podziemski, and Golden State still believes it can make a run. 

"I feel like this group can do something special. I really do," Steve Kerr said on Wednesday. "So if we don't do anything tomorrow [at the the trade deadline], we feel like we have a good group we can push with."

Thompson agrees. 

"I see Steph Curry. I see Draymond. I go home home and check our playoff record as a trio. .. I believe," Thompson said on Wednesday. "I will always believe we can make a run when we're all suited up."

They've got an uphill climb, that's for sure. Entering play on Thursday, the Warriors are 23-25 and one game back in the loss column of the No. 10 Jazz. With a relatively easy schedule over the final 34 games, Golden State is probably looking at no better than a Play-In spot, if the team can even secure that. 

If the Warriors get in, nobody will want to play them, especially in a one-game scenario. Stephen Curry remains a terrifying threat. Kuminga's best years are still down the road, but after hitting the 20-point mark just three times over the first three months of the season, he has now done so in nine of his last 11 games. Over that span, Kuminga is averaging 24 points per game on 59% shooting. 

Kuminga and Wiggins are the guys who have to attack the basket. When they're getting downhill and into the paint, attacking closeouts and bodying/posting switch mismatches, things can unlock for an otherwise grounded Warriors team. 

That's the most optimistic Warriors outlook: Kuminga and Wiggins attack, Klay gets hot at the right time, the depth wins on the margins, Draymond energizes the defense and Curry gets loose. Given the trade options that were out there, or lack thereof, standing pat was their best play. They're not going to compete for the title unless something absolutely bizarre happens over the next few months, but they remain a threat to anyone in any given series. 

From there, they can address larger questions this summer, when Thompson and Paul will come off the books and they can evaluate things with a clear head and a clearer cap sheet.