Why Smith believes Warriors need youthful rebuild via trades, draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
In the midst of another tough Warriors loss, TNT’s Kenny Smith believes Golden State is in dire need of a major roster shake up.
While many have called for the Warriors to acquire a veteran difference maker, Smith argued Golden State would be better off surrounding Steph Curry with young talent.
“They’re in a similar situation as the Lakers, but much different in the same result,” Smith said on “Inside the NBA” during halftime of the Warriors’ 125-85 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. “Meaning, when you’re building/rebuilding around LeBron James and you say, ‘Hey, he’s later in his years. He’s maybe not the same player, but he’s still a great player, one of the top players in the league.’ LeBron James plays with the ball in his hands, so you have to build a team that actually fits in, so you’re going to bring in older players.
“I think with Steph Curry, he actually plays without the ball a lot. He’s running off picks. So now you can say, ‘We’re going to do a young rebuild with young energy to get him shots easier because he’s catch-and-shooting more instead of beating people off the dribble.’ So the rebuild is different. They should go young, through the draft, through trade, keep guys like [Jonathan] Kuminga, not think about trading guys like Kuminga at his age. That group is where they need to be.”
Smith’s co-host Charles Barkley didn’t agree with that logic, believing the Warriors’ only route to contention is by landing a superstar talent.
“It doesn’t matter what they do unless they go out and get a superstar,” Barkley said. “That’s their only chance … getting younger ain’t going to make them better.”
After a red-hot start that saw Golden State sitting atop the Western Conference standings with a 12-3 record, the Warriors have come crashing down to earth, going 9-18 over their last 27 games.
With Curry still showing he can play at a high level, the Warriors face the difficult task of attempting to maximize their window with a generational player without sacrificing an abundance of future assets.
Smith’s approach might allow Golden State to have the best of both worlds — a revamped roster around Curry with pieces that also are young enough to shepherd in the next generation of Warriors basketball once the greatest shooter of all time decides to retire.
