Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have been one of the NBA's most disappointing teams at 4-7, but their front office doesn't plan on making any bold moves to spark a turnaround.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that the team will not "overreact" to the poor start but will reevaluate if the team continues to scuffle:

"We’re not going to overreact to this start. We’re going to see how we move through it. But we view ourselves as contenders. There’s no secret there. And we’ll look at the roster as we move ahead. But at this point, it’s way too early to kind of make any proclamations about what we’re going to do. I know there’s an intense interest. I love that we have such a following in our community and such a passion for our team. It’s so nice to work in an environment where we have that engagement level. I mean, I walk across the street and get yelled at about what we need to do, which is what I love about the Bay Area and San Francisco.

But it is 11 games. I’ll get back on the phone with you after 40 games or half the season and if we’re talking about the same stuff, maybe it’ll be different answers. But at this point, it is early. Not so early that we don’t care what we’re looking like. But it is too early to kind of make any drastic decisions."

The Warriors' budding group of young talent has, to this point, been a major disappointment this season. Jordan Poole is shooting 30.1 percent from three after signing a $140 million extension, James Wiseman has been dominated by opposing centers on both ends of the floor, and Jonathan Kuminga still looks at least another year away from steady contribution. Second-year guard Moses Moody has also been unimpressive, while rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. is not in the rotation.

The abundance of young players taking up roster spots has led to a noticeable lack of veteran depth coming off the bench. Andre Iguodala has not played this season because of a hip injury, leaving JaMychal Green as the only reserve over the age of 25 getting regular playing time.

With Klay Thompson not looking like he'll regain his previous All-Star form after missing two seasons with leg injuries, the Warriors have foisted more responsibility than ever on Stephen Curry. While the two-time league MVP has been up to the task, his teammates have not performed consistently enough for the Warriors to win games.

Iguodala is not enough of a difference-maker in his final NBA season to be the missing piece. If the struggles continue, Myers is going to have to take a long, hard look at jettisoning one or two of these young players for a win-now talent.

It's unlikely to provide much solace, but the NBA acknowledged Sacramento Kings players and fans have a right to be upset about the lack of a foul call on Klay Thompson as time expired in Monday's 116-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The league's Last Two Minute Report ruled Thompson committed a foul on Kings guard Kevin Huerter's game-tying three-point attempt. Officials swallowed their whistles on the floor, much to the chagrin of Kings players, who expressed their displeasure after the game:

The Last Two Minute Report also said officials missed a traveling call on Stephen Curry with 16.6 seconds remaining. Had the referees made the call, the Kings would have gotten possession down only one point and had a chance for a game-winning shot.

This is the second time in a week that officiating has arguably cost the Kings a close game. The league said officials missed a travel by Tyler Herro before the Miami Heat guard hit a game-winning three in last Wednesday's 110-107 win over Sacramento.

"I feel bad for our guys," Kings coach Mike Brown told reporters. "It's tough being a Sacramento King, I think, because Kevin got fouled. … I just want, at the end of the game, somebody to step up and make the right call. A guy gets hit on the arm shooting a three, that's a foul. A guy takes six steps, or three, four steps, that's a travel.

"We just want an opportunity to win in overtime, but just like in the Miami game, I asked the ref if it was a foul, and he said no. It was clearly a foul."

Monday's loss dropped Sacramento to 3-6 on the season. The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are the only two Western Conference teams with worse records.

Draymond Green praised Stephen Curry for a 47-point performance that carried the Golden State Warriors to a 116-113 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

"It was very Game 4 of the [2022] NBA Finals to me. He just wasn't going to allow us to lose," Green told reporters. "Take that with a grain of salt because I'm not saying this game was as important. But you know when to get out of the way. It was one of those times where he was taking over."

Along with the game-high point total, which was built on the strength of seven three-pointers, Curry also recorded eight rebounds and eight assists with no turnovers in 38 minutes.

In Game 4 of last season's Finals, with the Warriors trailing the Boston Celtics 2-1 in the series, the eight-time All-Star tallied 43 points as part of a crucial 107-97 victory. Golden State went on to capture the championship in six games.

As Green mentioned, an early November game isn't anywhere close to the same scale, but it could still be an important turning point for the Dubs.

Golden State is off to a sluggish start in its latest title defense with a 4-7 record, including five straight losses prior to Monday's triumph over the Kings.

Curry made 17 of his 24 shots from the field, including a 7-of-12 mark on threes, and compiled a game-high plus-20 to carry the Warriors.

"Steph was just breathtaking," head coach Steve Kerr said. "He's obviously one of the greatest players of all time, and he plays so well on so many nights. But this even seemed like something special for him."

The 34-year-old point guard pushed aside the idea he has the burden of carrying the team, saying it's important to the younger members of the rotation time to grow.

"We have to understand that [the young players] are all going to get an opportunity to perform, and there are going to be some struggles—some real high highs, and some real low lows," Curry said. "That's the story of this team. As vets, you understand every year is a little different and you are ready for that challenge. For these young guys to try to find themselves in this league and also a specific role, it's challenging."

Golden State has a favorable schedule through Thanksgiving, giving the team a chance to bounce back toward or above .500 after the slow start.

The Warriors can't depend on Curry to have that type of performance every night, though. It's going to take a more balanced offensive attack to build some sustained momentum.

The Golden State Warriors have gone a shocking 0-6 on the road this season, part of the defending champion's disappointing 3-7 start on the season.

But Klay Thompson—who called the team's recent five-game losing streak the "road trip from hell"—believes the Dubs will turn things around.

"We just need to bring more of a sense of urgency," he told reporters Sunday. "We had a long run last year, but 2022 is over. It's time to kick into high gear and play that championship level of basketball that we're used to. I fully expect us to do that."

"We know how good we are in this building," he added of returning to San Francisco's Chase Center for a two-game stint this week. "So I think we're going to be off to a fresh start."

The Warriors weren't a great road team last season, either, going 22-19 in the regular season away from home and 5-5 in the postseason. Contrast that to home marks of 31-10 in the regular season and 11-1 in the playoffs.

Head coach Steve Kerr attributed the team's early road woes to the natural peaks and valleys of an 82-game season.

"There are times in the NBA season when things can go off the rails a little bit," he told reporters Sunday. "A big part of being a great team, being a solid organization, is just understanding how to work through that."

As Kerr noted, the Dubs had a tough stretch between February and March of last season, going 2-9. That started a series of runs—four straight wins, followed by three straight losses, followed by a 1-4 stint before closing the regular season on a five-game winning streak.

And then came the postseason run and the team's fourth title in eight years. All's well that ends well.

So the Warriors have proved to be streaky in the past. They are a far better team in San Francisco than they are on the road. In many ways, everything that has happened thus far feels somewhat in character, even if it's a tough pill to swallow to start a season.

It isn't ideal, especially given the drama before the season even began. But winning a title provides a level of confidence that no slump is insurmountable for this group.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Friday that shooting guard Klay Thompson may not play games on back-to-back days this season.

"Klay may not play in a back-to-back all year," Kerr said, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "He didn't last year because of two straight season-ending injuries."

The struggling 3-6 Warriors will be without Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans because of various listed ailments. All four of them played Thursday in a 130-129 loss to the Orlando Magic.

If Thompson does not play back-to-backs this year, then he will miss at least 13 more games. The 2022-23 schedule has the Warriors playing 13 back-to-back sets, with the next one occurring Nov. 13 and 14.

Thompson suffered a torn ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals that kept him out for the entire 2019-20 season. He then suffered a torn Achilles during a Nov. 16, 2020 preseason workout that forced him off the court for all of 2020-21.

The former Washington State star didn't return to the team until Jan. 9 of last season. He played on a minutes restriction before the team lifted it in March.

As Kerr noted, Thompson never played on back-to-back days, missing the front or back end of them nine times after he returned.

Thompson ended up playing 54 games (32 regular season, 22 playoffs) for the NBA champion Warriors last season. He averaged 20.4 points per game in the regular season and 19.0 PPG in the postseason.

This season, the five-time All-Star is averaging 15.0 points per game on 36.4 percent shooting. It's a far slower start than usual for the four-time NBA champion, but he may have snapped that slump Thursday after a 27-point outing where he hit seven three-pointers.

His next chance to return to the lineup will be Monday at home against the Sacramento Kings.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he's going to shake things up after the defending champions suffered their fourth straight loss Thursday night.

The Warriors' 130-129 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic dropped the team's record to 3-6 and they've yet to win a game on the road this season (0-5).

"We've had nine games now, so we've had a decent look at combinations. It's time to try something different," Kerr told reporters. "Everybody's gonna get a chance to play. We've got guys who are dying to get on the floor, and we've got to find combinations that play. We will look at that as a staff."

He added: "We have to save us. Because nobody else is coming."

Golden State's collapse at the defensive end has been one of the biggest surprises early in the 2022-23 season.

Kerr's group ranked first in defensive efficiency last season and then rolled through the playoffs, losing just six games across four series, en route to the franchise's fourth NBA title since 2015. They've dropped to 22nd in that category so far in the current campaign.

Those struggles continued Thursday night. The Warriors allowed the Magic to shoot 53.8 percent from the field (42 of 78) and 43.3 percent on threes (13 of 30). Orlando also grabbed 11 offensive boards as part of a 46-35 rebounding advantage.

"It's our defense," forward Draymond Green said. "We have to correct our defense."

Kerr also pointed out how the Dubs sent the Magic to the free-throw line 46 times by committing 32 personal fouls, saying it's "really hard to win" that way.

"This isn't a case of our new guys or our young fouling; it's everybody," Kerr said. "By the time the second unit got on the floor in the first, they were in the bonus. ... We set a terrible tone, and we've done that pretty much all year."

The slow start will force the Warriors to climb up the Western Conference standings, which wasn't an issue last year as they cruised through the regular season. They didn't suffer their sixth loss in 2021-22 until Dec. 18 when their record stood at 24-6.

While a championship hangover isn't totally uncommon in sports, the Dubs have shown very few signs they're still the same dominant squad from five months ago.

It's going to take a substantial turnaround defensively for Golden State to start winning consistently and avoid a season where they're fighting until the end to avoid the play-in tournament.

The Warriors are back in action Friday night when they visit the Smoothie King Center to wrap up a five-game road trip against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors' disastrous season hit a new low Thursday with a 130-129 loss to the Orlando Magic, who entered the game last in the Eastern Conference with a 1-7 record.

Golden State led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but the Magic dropped 43 third-quarter points en route to 77 overall in the final 24 minutes.

Seven Magic players scored in double figures. They were led by Jalen Suggs, who had 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and nine in the final two minutes. Orlando also enjoyed a 46-15 free-throw differential.

Rookie Paolo Banchero added 22 points for the Magic, who out-rebounded the Warriors 46-35 and shot 53.8 percent from the field.

Stephen Curry did all he could to give the Warriors the win thanks to a game-high 39 points on 13-of-22 shooting, including 8-of-15 from three.

Klay Thompson also appeared to break out of an early-season slump with 27 points, including a 7-of-15 night from beyond the arc.

However, the Warriors defense once again struggled. Golden State entered the night 24th in the league in defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference. The Dubs were first in that stat during their championship-winning 2021-22 season.

The Warriors are now 3-6 overall and 0-5 on the road.

The season isn't even 10 games old, so the Warriors have plenty of time to turn this around. Still, the first few weeks have left a lot to be desired, and numerous analysts, reporters and fans let their thoughts be known.

Golden State must now bounce back quickly as it travels to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Friday.

The Golden State Warriors "did not hold substantive discussions" with Klay Thompson about a new contract this offseason, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.

The guard is signed through the 2023-24 season with $43.2 million owed next year.

Though the Warriors can agree to a new deal with Thompson next offseason, Lowe argued that a new contract would result in an "unprecedented and probably untenable tax bill" unless someone on the roster takes a "drastic pay cut."

After agreeing to new contracts with Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole this offseason, the Warriors already have a league-high $231.7 million total cap for 2023-24.

According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the team's total bill for next season could be $483 million, including a $268 million luxury tax.

Even when Thompson and Draymond Green come off the books in 2024-25, the Warriors still owe over $112 million combined to just Stephen Curry, Poole and Wiggins.

It makes it unlikely Golden State signs Thompson to a new deal, especially with the veteran struggling at the start of this season. The 32-year-old is averaging just 13.3 points per game, while his 35.1 field-goal percentage and 29.5 three-point percentage would each be the worst marks of his career.

Though his seven games played is a small sample size, the Warriors could start giving more playing time to Poole if these struggles continue. It could signal the end of an era for the team's main core that won four titles in eight years.

Trading Draymond Green isn't yet a consideration for the Golden State Warriors amid their 3-5 start to the 2022-23 NBA season.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported Thursday the Warriors "have not engaged in any trade talks centered on Green and don't plan to as of now."

Golden State and Green have been approaching a fork in the road for some time. He can opt out of his contract at the end of this season, and unlike Stephen Curry, he may not be the kind of player you reflexively offer a max extension.

The 32-year-old isn't a high-volume scorer (9.0 points per game), nor is he a good shooter (30 percent on three-pointers). And as he gets older, he may struggle to maintain the defensive flexibility that has made him such a critical part of the Warriors' success.

In July, The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II reported that Green "wants and believes he deserves a maximum contract extension from the Warriors." The team, however, had "no plans to offer Green a maximum extension, and there isn't any current traction on any type of extension."

That was before Green punched teammate Jordan Poole at practice with the regular season on the horizon.

The Warriors didn't suspend Green, and Poole still agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension. Still, the practice incident is bound to be a factor when the front office considers the four-time All-Star's future.

Between the Poole deal and giving Andrew Wiggins a four-year, $109 million extension, the organization is looking at a massive luxury tax bill if Green opts in. The cost becomes higher if he opts out and collects a higher salary.

Despite all of this uncertainty, it's difficult to picture Golden State moving Green unless it's part of a sign-and-trade in the summer.

A team that's attempting to repeat as champions typically doesn't trade a player of Green's stature unless its hand is forced. In addition, just because there might be an impasse at the negotiating table now doesn't mean the Warriors should abandon the idea of re-signing him altogether.

Barring a complete bottoming out akin to winning 15 games in 2019-20, the Warriors should consider a Green trade a nonstarter for now.