Luke Weber’s guide to (re)building a champion, Part One: Make the Warriors Champions Again.

I'm not sure if anybody else remembers this, but once upon a time, Everybody thought that the league was dead in the water because the Golden State Warriors were never going to lose a basketball game. The once darlings of the NBA had stacked the deck, adding an All-NBA talent in Kevin Durant to a team that already featured two of the best three-point shooters of all time (Splash Brothers Steph Curry and Klay Thomson), a Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green, the Coach of the Year in Steve Kerr, and the only sixth man in NBA history to win the Finals MVP award, Andre Iguodala.

After a 73-9 season that concluded with a Game 7 loss in the finals, all the Warriors had to do was run it back. The fans all protested the legitimacy of the defeat, claiming that if defensive stalwart Draymond Green hadn't been ejected, they would've added their second title in as many years. They never got a chance to prove this, since that summer, the best team in regular-season history courted Durant, fresh off a third-round loss to this same Warriors team.

The rest is history: they won it all two years in a row against a Cavaliers team that was only a "super team" and not a "super-duper team," and then they got tired of winning (and of each other) as injuries slowly dragged them down. Well, to be more precise, it's not like they didn't want to win, but it just no longer had the same draw that it did before. Rumors surfaced that Durant didn't get the gratification he expected to get from earning rings, since his team was just so unbelievably stacked that he wasn't truly "earning" anything. Steve Kerr was caught on video saying he was tired of Draymond Green, who was later caught on video in a war of words with co-star Durant. In the 2019 season, as KD's upcoming free agency loomed, the media became more present than ever in the locker room. While to many, it seemed like the team was collapsing, others saw all the noise as just that. General manager Bob Myers later appeared on Adrian Wojnarowski's podcast and spoke about the situation.

"Everybody is so fast to look at what's wrong with a team, and I was just so focused on — and still am — on what was right with all those things, even in losing. Even in the effort, you make to win or lose, there are great experiences there. And so for me — and it may have come from I liked the guy (Durant), for all of him."

Despite all of the negative media surrounding the team, Golden State continued to be Golden State. They dominated their way through the regular season, defeated the biggest rebels to their monarchy over the league, the Houston Rockets, in the second round of the playoffs, and they cruised their way to the NBA Finals for the fifth year in a row. The only difference was that their usual opponent, their Washington Generals, were not the ones waiting for them. The Toronto Raptors team that sat on the other side of the court didn't look nearly as appetizing as the Cleveland team they were used to facing. They had no legendary player– only Kawhi Leonard, a multi-time all-star who won his only championship as a one way player on an already great Spurs team. And that was five years ago. Now he was only known as a grumpy superstar who couldn't even get along with his coach on the Spurs. Now in Toronto, he wasn't backed up by sidekicks who had both earned the superstar label themselves. There was no Kyrie Irving, no Tim Duncan, no Dwyane Wade. They had rising youngster Pascal Siakam, but he wasn't close to the stature of those mentioned earlier. Veteran all-star Kyle Lowry led the underdogs emotionally, but he wasn't close to any of the Warriors stars in talent.

When the Raptors eventually defeated the Warriors in only six games, the only explanation was the Warriors' injuries. Durant suffered an Achilles tear that kept him out after Game 5. Durant had shown signs of wear in tear throughout the playoffs, but the Warriors chose to play him in the Finals because, well, it was the Finals. Klay Thompson went down with an ACL injury in the last game of the series. There was no way such an "unsuper" team could beat them without an unfair advantage. This topic is still being debated today, especially after Kawhi Leonard fell in the second round of the 2020 playoffs while on a team that many claimed would be significantly better than the Raptors team. I can't give you a definitive answer on what would've happened if the Warriors were at full strength, but I can tell you about the aftermath.

In the offseason, Kevin Durant chose to leave the Warriors and sign with the Brooklyn Nets, teaming up with former Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving. People gave many reasons for this decision. Some believed that he was fed up with the way his teammates (namely Draymond Green) treated him. Others argued that he was angry about how the Warriors mishandled his injury. Most people agreed that he was tired of being criticized for joining an already great team and wanted to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a championship so he could finally be recognized as an all-time great player. Whatever the reason was, the Warriors were now only as good as everyone else. They still had the Splash Brothers who had won them their championship in 2015, but 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala was looking nothing like his old self. They had to trade Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies for virtually nothing to create enough cap room to resign the injured Klay Thompson to a max contract, a risky decision in itself. While Klay will always be known as a shooter, what made him truly great was his ability to move around the court without the ball in his hands and defensive prowess. If this ACL injury turns out to be very severe, he will never be the same player again. This is the player who the Warriors decided to pay $190,000,000. That's a lot of zeros for a player who the team already confirmed wouldn't even play the next season. The only source of hope was that they acquired first-time all-star, D'Angelo Russell, as part of Kevin Durant's departure. The rest of their team was a giant question mark. Big man Demarcus Cousins signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, as did their backup point guard, Quinn Cook. Backup shooting guard Shawn Livingston retired. Young big Jordan Bell signed a large contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves that the Warriors couldn't match.

The team that took the court when the 2020 season began did not look like a championship team. When the best player left, Steph Curry, suffered a hand injury, they didn't even look like a playoff team. Russell wasn't clicking with the team's culture. Draymond Green was left as the only competent defender, and the team sported the league's worst defensive rating. A midseason trade saw Russell sent to Minnesota, and the return package featured first-round picks and the overpaid scoring forward Andrew Wiggins, a trade that resembled one a rebuilding team would make. Thus the team appeared to lie in a confusing situation. They had taken on an extra salary with the prize of future youngsters. That brings us to right now. The Warriors didn't just miss the playoffs. They had one of the worst records in the league. Curry, Thompson, and Green are all watching the NBA playoffs from home for the first time in several years. Klay hasn't played an NBA game in over 15 months, and Steph Curry is still recovering from his hand injury. Andrew Wiggins turned about just as expected and finished the season averaging just under 20 points per game on below-average efficiency and below-average three-point efficiency.

The silver lining is that Warriors landed the 2nd pick in the NBA draft, and ESPN's August Mock Draft has them adding yet another wing to their roster in Georgia star Anthony Edwards (https://insider.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/29695731/nba-mock-draft-projected-picks-big-lottery-winners). The NBA landscape looks very different than it did back when they started their dynasty in 2015. With the Heatles disassembled, the 2015 Warriors didn't have to worry about a historically great team. If they make a title run next year, they'll have to contend with the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, which brandish two of the top five superstars in the NBA in Anthony Davis and old foe LeBron James. The Clippers will be back, led by the man who put the Warriors in this situation, Kawhi Leonard. On the other side of the NBA, two time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will be fighting for his first ring, the Miami Heat will look to defend their Eastern Conference title, and Kevin Durant's Nets will be ready to make a championship run as well.

The road back to greatness won't be an easy one, so the Warriors will have to be prepared. This leaves them with three main options going into the offseason, assuming they don't decide to trade their franchise heroes and begin a rebuild around the #2 pick because, well, that would be dumb. As much as many people in the national media claim that teams like the Warriors need to hit the restart button since their current setup isn't working out, the fact is that if you have an All-NBA player (like a Steph Curry, for example), you only have one priority: to build the best team you can with that player. Rebuilding franchises such as the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Bulls spend year after year mining for one all-star level player to no avail. The Warriors don't need to be in that situation. They already have three players who are above all-star level. So with that, I'd like to dive into reLOAD (not rebuild) option one:

Option One: Stay the course

With their current setup, a healthy backcourt could throw them right back into the playoffs as soon as next year. Add on a top draft prospect such as James Wiseman, who they are currently projected to select with the second pick of the draft, and who fits perfectly into their projected starting lineup, and this team could be back in playoff contention before you could say "Steph Curry for three... BANG!" The biggest concern is that this wouldn't make the team any better than the other West contenders. Wiseman would be an excellent solution to the team's hole at the center position, albeit he's most likely not the first or second or even the third-best player in the upcoming draft, but the best thing about this option is that it's the easiest. It doesn't depend on GM Bob Myers swinging a big-time trade or signing a big free agent (if they don't make a money-saving trade, they'll be unable to pay a free agent more than the mid-level exception anyways). It just depends on the pieces working as they are. If the goal is to clinch a playoff berth, this option does that. However, knowing how ambitious these Warriors are, this seems like the least likely path.

Option 2: Aim for talent, not fit

While adding a center sounds good for a Warriors team that seems about sound at every position, but the 5, the ingredient to the team's success has never been employing a dominant big man. Just look at the centers they used throughout their dynasty: Whether it was Andrew Bogut, Zaza Pachulia, or Javale McGee, they've never needed a good center to be great, so why change that now? This path sees them taking the best player available at the second pick, whether it's Lamelo Ball or Anthony Edwards, and trading Andrew Wiggins and one of the picks they got from Minnesota to create more depth at all five positions. They never had incredible depth during their dynasty, but to be frank, you can't win a title when your bench lineup contains several players who have demonstrated their incompetence this season. They have decent bench pieces like Eric Paschall and Damion Lee, but the rest of the lineup needs work. By trading Wiggins and a future pick, they could bring in some impactful two-way veterans such as Tristian Thompson (who would have to be acquired in a sign and trade), Derrick White, or Justin Holiday. Any of these vets could be available, and giving how adaptable the Warriors' style of play is, there are plenty of players who could fit the mold. Wiggins and a pick would be valuable enough to turn Golden State's roster into one that is championship level. Having a squad of two-way athletes to back up the Splash Bros, Green, the rookie, and *insert name of center here* could put Golden State above the Lakers and the Celtics in the power rankings, since both teams notoriously lack the deep rosters that other contenders have. This path is an excellent choice if the Warriors want a balanced roster, which I believe they should given their stars' questionable health, but if they're going to stack the deck once again and bet their money on the super team blueprint, they'll have to take option three.

Option Three: Superteam 2.0

You can trade an overpaid one way player like Wiggins and attach a future late lottery pick to bring in depth. Or you can trade Wiggins to a team that could use a one-way player and attach the second pick of this year's draft to bring in a star. This upcoming draft certainly doesn't have the same lure as last year, but a top prospect is a top prospect nonetheless, and the top of the 2020 draft already glimmers with star potential. Since the Orlando Magic just barely made the playoffs this year, they'll be sitting outside of the lottery. Sporting one low-end all-star in 3pt-shooting big man Nikola Vucevic, and a collection of semi-decent youngish players in Evan Fournier, Markelle Fultz, and Jonathan Isaac, this is a team that should be looking at the rebuild button. They have the 7th worst offense in the league (scoring only 107.3 points per game. For reference, the median score is 112 points per game), behind several teams that failed even to make the playoffs. Trading Vucevic, who is about to turn 30 years old, for Andrew Wiggins and the 2nd pick would be a bargain for Orlando. A three-team trade where the Minnesota picks and Damion Lee go to New Orleans for veteran guard Jrue Holiday could put the whole league on notice. A starting lineup of Curry, Holiday, Thompson, Green, and Vucevic would feature more than enough shooting and defense to make Golden State the best basketball team once again. The #2 pick, Wiggins, and some rotation pieces like Paschall could even potentially snag a big name trade target like Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, or Victor Oladipo, any of whom could propel Splash and Company back to the top of the league. Adding Draymond Green into a deal could make it even more interesting. This option is undoubtedly the riskiest, since giving up draft picks for a win-now mentality is an easy way to put your team in NBA purgatory for years (look at the Brooklyn Nets post-Kevin Garnett trade, the Miami Heat after the Goran Dragic trade, and the New York Knicks for the past 20 years). The Warriors would be putting a lot on the line to make this third option work, but when has an NBA team ever won a championship without putting everything on the line? Keeping in mind the lofty goals the Warriors have set for themselves, we shouldn't be surprised if we see Golden State riding the trade market back to the NBA Finals.