(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors’ offseason got off to a sad start, as Klay Thompson, one of the biggest stalwarts of their dynasty, left and decided to join the Dallas Mavericks.
Afterward, the Warriors, who missed the 2024 NBA Playoffs, needed to find some type of replacement in order to have any hope of getting back to some level of contention.
On Thursday, they managed to reach an agreement with sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who will be coming to them in a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers that has the Warriors giving up only a second-round pick in the 2031 NBA Draft.
Hield talked to the media about his move to Golden State and said he wants to learn from established stars and veterans on the team such as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, per ClutchPoints.
“I wanna go there and win and try to get them back on top,” Hield said, via Basket News.
Reporter: “[What should] the Warriors fans expect from your partnership with Steph [Curry]?”
Buddy Hield: “I wanna go there and win and try to get them back on top… Being with Steph I’ll be able to [watch & learn from him].”
(via @BasketNews_com)pic.twitter.com/LLhVsnBtyp
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 5, 2024
Hield isn’t quite the offensive threat that Thompson was prior to his ACL and Achilles injuries a few years ago, but he is almost as potent a 3-point threat as Thompson was in his heyday. He has a career mark of 40.0 percent from 3-point range and is a heavy volume shooter who will not hesitate to let it fly.
A concern, however, is that his defense is lackluster, and at 6-foot-4 he is a couple of inches shorter than Thompson.
If Golden State is to be more than a borderline playoff team this coming season, it will need internal improvement from its young players, especially Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Trayce-Jackson Davis.
Despite winning the NBA title as recently as 2022, the Warriors’ days of competing for the NBA’s grand prize may be gone. But perhaps they can at least hold on to some respectability as Curry heads into the final seasons of his legendary career.
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Such a well-structured and engaging article. Thank you!