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NBA

From dynasty to dilemma: how the Warriors aim to turn the tide

Amidst all the transfers, Jimmy Butler is distancing himself from a Warriors team that has started to attract inquiries from everyone: LeBron James, Paul George and even Kevin Durant.

Amidst all the transfers, Jimmy Butler is distancing himself from a Warriors team that has started to attract inquiries from everyone: LeBron James, Paul George and even Kevin Durant.
Amidst all the transfers, Jimmy Butler is distancing himself from a Warriors team that has started to attract inquiries from everyone: LeBron James, Paul George and even Kevin Durant.Kelley L CoxUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

It would be legitimate to say that Luka Doncic’s trade has been the greatest in history. Many have recalled it and compared it to some of the biggest moves ever — two particularly recent ones: LeBron James’s move to the Heat, famously known as The Decision in 2010, which is widely considered the start of the era of empowered players, and Kevin Durant’s move to the Warriors in the summer of 2016. That latter move generated intense discussion, especially after a player who, months earlier, had seen his Thunder lose the Western Conference finals when the reigning champions overturned a 3–1 deficit to win 4–3. Russell Westbrook never forgave him for joining his eternal rival — a fate that later befell that same team in the Finals against the Cavaliers, led by James. The dynasty, celebrated for its 73-win season, ended with a loss that spurred them to pursue Durant. In doing so, they assembled one of the most incredible and iconic rosters in basketball history. Perhaps the best of them all.

The Golden State dynasty

The Warriors went on to win the following two championships, with their adventure ending in 2019 when they lost the Finals (their fifth consecutive appearance) to the Raptors. There was still a poignant epilogue in 2022, albeit without Durant, which wreaked havoc on both the Nets and the Suns — teams that demanded attention but never received what he considered sufficient. Now, they are but a shadow of what they once were, a dynasty that time has devoured, proving that everything must come to an end. The Warriors have decided to pay a staggering sum and spend even more on the luxury tax while trying to capitalize on Stephen Curry’s power, waiting for days, weeks, months and years to pass. Yet, they now lack a sporting project that can realistically contend for something greater than a play-in berth, instead living off past glories while barely surviving in the present, with no thoughts for the future. This outcome was perhaps inevitable, given the very clear departures in recent times (Bobby Marks leaving the front office, Klay Thompson’s struggles on the court) and a tendency to cling to bygone successes that only serves to dissolve this once-legendary team like tears in the rain.

Butler not a Warriors option

Thus, the atmosphere in the final hours for the Warriors has been more than strange. Without any indication from Doncic (no one expected what happened) or De’Aaron Fox (whose trajectory lay elsewhere), reports emerged that the option to sign Jimmy Butler was falling through because the star — still with the Heat — had signaled that he had no intention of renewing his contract if he were to be signed by the franchise. Following that, chaos engulfed Golden State.

The organization began contacting teams left and right to acquire players such as, believe it or not, Paul George, Durant, or James. It was even said that they reached out to every All-Star in the world’s best league. This is astonishing and suggests two possible interpretations: on one hand, the team is mired in the past (all the names mentioned belong to very veteran players) and, on the other, there is a palpable desperation to secure someone. But to what end? Do the Warriors really believe that such moves will fix an impossible situation, or is this a commercial decision aimed at fueling the narrative of a team that increasingly lacks it? Everyone knows the answer. With this franchise, nothing can be predicted.

Warriors make Magic disappear

Amid all this market and management turmoil, the Warriors hosted the Magic at the Chase Center and, with a display of pride and honor, secured a well-deserved victory — albeit against an opponent in the midst of a performance slump that has seen nine losses in their last ten games (this included). In the midst of all the executive and market shenanigans, Stephen Curry scored 24 points on a poor shooting night (2 for 12 from beyond the arc) and Andrew Wiggins contributed 25. For the Magic, who seemed out of sync, Paolo Banchero added 18, Franz Wagner 21, Goga Bitadze 6 (with 14 rebounds), and Cole Anthony chipped in 26 off the bench. But all these individual performances mattered little in light of the news that surfaced before tip-off — revelations that the Warriors have been desperately attempting to sign everyone in sight.

This is the mark of a historically significant team displaying uncharacteristic desperation and a clear inability, at this point, to attract major players to a project that no longer exists. For now, no one has decided to head to the Bay Area to join Curry and his company. And it doesn’t seem that, if anyone does leave, it will be significant enough to alter a dynamic that, despite the win over the Magic, is already unsalvageable. In this life, everything comes to an end — and for the Warriors, time has caught up with them. They now face a sad extinction.

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Golden State Warriors
Stats
23
Draymond Green
22
Andrew Wiggins
21
Quinten Post
30
Stephen Curry
7
Buddy Hield
1
Kyle Anderson
32
Trayce Jackson-Davis
5
Kevon Looney
4
Moses Moody
0
Gary Payton II
2
Brandin Podziemski
15
Gui Santos
71
Dennis Schröder
43
Lindy Waters III
44
Jackson Rowe
61
Pat Spencer
Stats
Min Pts TR OR DR Ast Los Rec Blk S1 S2 S3 RF CF Val
23
Draymond Green
28 4 7 0 7 5 2 1 0 0/2 2/2 0/2 0 1 0
22
Andrew Wiggins
35 25 2 0 2 2 1 0 0 10/15 6/9 1/5 0 1 0
21
Quinten Post
20 7 7 0 7 3 0 1 0 2/2 1/1 1/4 0 1 0
30
Stephen Curry
34 24 1 0 1 5 3 1 0 8/8 5/9 2/12 0 1 0
7
Buddy Hield
18 4 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2/3 1/2 0/2 0 2 0
1
Kyle Anderson
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
32
Trayce Jackson-Davis
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
5
Kevon Looney
20 2 15 7 8 6 2 1 0 0/0 1/5 0/0 0 4 0
4
Moses Moody
23 17 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2/4 3/4 3/5 0 0 0
0
Gary Payton II
15 4 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0/0 2/2 0/2 0 2 0
2
Brandin Podziemski
21 8 5 1 4 2 2 2 0 0/0 1/2 2/4 0 1 0
15
Gui Santos
2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
71
Dennis Schröder
18 9 2 0 2 1 1 2 0 0/0 0/3 3/3 0 3 0
43
Lindy Waters III
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
44
Jackson Rowe
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
61
Pat Spencer
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
Orlando Magic
Stats
5
Paolo Banchero
22
Franz Wagner
35
Goga Bitadze
0
Anthony Black
3
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
50
Cole Anthony
34
Wendell Carter Jr.
23
Tristan Da Silva
14
Gary Harris
13
Jett Howard
1
Jonathan Isaac
10
Cory Joseph
12
Trevelin Queen
8
Mac McClung
Stats
Min Pts TR OR DR Ast Los Rec Blk S1 S2 S3 RF CF Val
5
Paolo Banchero
37 18 6 1 5 3 2 1 0 0/1 9/18 0/6 0 2 0
22
Franz Wagner
36 21 3 1 2 5 2 2 0 2/3 8/14 1/5 0 6 0
35
Goga Bitadze
20 6 14 6 8 1 2 1 1 2/5 2/8 0/0 0 1 0
0
Anthony Black
16 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 2 0
3
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
32 9 6 2 4 1 0 1 0 0/0 3/6 1/3 0 3 0
50
Cole Anthony
28 26 5 1 4 3 2 2 1 1/1 8/12 3/9 0 5 0
34
Wendell Carter Jr.
27 6 9 2 7 7 1 0 0 0/0 3/4 0/0 0 1 0
23
Tristan Da Silva
10 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0/0 1/1 0/1 0 0 0
14
Gary Harris
14 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0/0 0/0 2/4 0 3 0
13
Jett Howard
4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 1/1 0 0 0
1
Jonathan Isaac
10 2 6 4 2 1 0 1 0 0/0 1/4 0/3 0 3 0
10
Cory Joseph
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
12
Trevelin Queen
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
8
Mac McClung
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0
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