Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
Omari Spellman played more games for the Golden State Warriors last season than the team’s big three did combined. And now, the return of the Splash Brothers has been delayed yet again following news of Klay Thompson’s Achilles tear.
While, finally, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green appear to be fully healthy, the Golden State front office is well aware that both are over 30 years old. With a return to title contention fresh on Warrior minds, ownership has agreed to plunge into the luxury tax to make a legitimate run this season despite Klay’s absence.
According to Brian Windhorst on ESPN’s First Take, the New Orleans Pelicans’ JJ Redick was Golden State’s early target to fill the void left by Thompson. While that failed to manifest, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that a deal is nearing with the Oklahoma City Thunder for Kelly Oubre Jr. to provide help on the wing.
Still, Thompson has never shot under 40 percent from three on a season, and Oubre has never come close to reaching that mark. If the Warriors are to make a true playoff push, the roster will need to develop or possibly add another shooter.
Redick Pursuit Not Entirely Stifled
No current Warrior shot higher than 35.6 percent from three last season, a statistic unfathomable for a team widely credited for modernizing basketball. Although Curry is back, along with his 43.5-percent career rate from deep, the team’s half-court offense obviously needs spacers.
Having shot 45.3 percent from deep last year, Redick provides space like few can. Unfortunately, as Windhorst explains (beginning at 4:10), the efforts to obtain the veteran’s services were stymied before Oubre’s deal because “the Pelicans were not amenable to making a deal under the terms.”
But Windhorst also refused to shut the possibility down completely, hinting that those talks could be revisited: “Keep an eye on that situation as things go forward.”
It’s unclear how exactly a Redick deal could come about, given Golden State’s cap situation and Oubre’s $14 million contract eating up their $17 million trade exception. For even a player like Redick, who costs $13 million this season, Golden State would need a deal involving Andrew Wiggins’ massive salary.
Wiggins’ fit, as an inefficient shooter, and contract, about $32 million annually over the next three years, are rightly questioned, but he is a talented 25-year-old. If a move for Redick or a different shooter is pulled off, it will likely involve multiple teams, Wiggins and Golden State’s rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2021 first-rounder.
Can Oubre Produce as Fifth Starter?
If James Wiseman and Nico Mannion can progress quickly, then Golden State should have reasonable depth on both extremes of their lineup. But at shooting guard and small forward, the team’s character is undefined.
For now, the Warriors’ projected starters are Curry, Wiggins, Oubre, Green and either Wiseman or Marquese Chriss. Off the bench, Eric Paschall is a dynamic young forward, but pieces like Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Mannion are unknown commodities.
Neither Wiseman (at present) nor Chriss can shoot threes. And Draymond hasn’t been able to ever since Kevin Hart tied him in a televised three-point contest during the 2016 All-Star Game, after which his perimeter percentage dropped from 38.8 to 30.8 and never rose again.
The viability of this lineup is therefore contingent on Wiggins and Oubre’s ability to space the floor. Unfortunately, the former shoots 33.2 percent from deep on his career and the latter hits 32.9. Nonetheless, Bob Myers has faith in Oubre’s upside, as evidenced by Golden State’s costly, albeit relatively risk-free, investment.
Should the reported deal go through, the Warriors will give up their 2021 first-round pick if it winds up in the 21-30 range. If they don’t, it will be two future second-rounders instead. But the luxury cap hit is a shocking $66 million, making Oubre a luxurious, $80 million one-year trial run.
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At 6’7″ and 24 years old, Oubre has never shown ideal awareness on the court, but he’s long, absurdly explosive and possesses a prettier jumper than statistics suggest. Those tools started clicking last year for a surging Phoenix Suns team as he averaged career highs of 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and a 35.2 percent clip from three.
Chriss, also known for defensive lapses and sloppy decisions on offense, proved how much more productive raw players can become in the Dubs system. He hit career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and his field-goal percentage in his one year as a Warrior.
Should Oubre become more efficient within Steve Kerr’s game plan, the investment could pay off, particularly if Wiggins shows similar progress.
