Moving on from Markkanen

The dream of getting Utah Jazz superstar Lauri Markkanen has officially come to an end. On Tuesday the Jazz signed Markkanen to a 5-year $238 million contract extension. This takes Markkanen off the trade block for at least one year according to his contract details. Now the question all Warriors fans are asking, can we contend with our current roster?

There is no question this team is far better than last years, but that doesn’t mean it can still contend. Last year the Warriors finished with the 10th seed in the tough Western Conference and lost in the play-in tournament to their in-state rival Sacramento Kings. That loss felt like the end of the dynasty. Steph Curry and Draymond Green would disagree with that, as they both said in the locker room after that devastating loss, “we ain’t done, we’ll be back.” I expect those two to live up to those words. 

This offseason the Warriors had one mission, get under the luxury tax. For years the Warriors have spent the most money in all of basketball, paying players like Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thomspon, and Andrew Wiggins max contract extensions. Getting rid of Thompson helped the Warriors spread that money around to fill out the roster. More cap space flexibility is what this team needed to get quality players to replace one of the Splash Bros. 

The only reason Markkanen is not on the roster right now is because Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr refused to include first team all-rookie guard Brandin Podziemski in the deal. The team believes Podziemski is the “guard of the future” after Steph Curry eventually retires. With Curry going into his age 36 season, where he will turn 37 in March. It’s smart to hold onto a guard like Podziemski, who earned first team all-rookie honors after being drafted with the 19th overall pick out of Santa Clara. Last year the standout rookie averaged 9 points per game (PPG) on 39% shooting from three-point range. Him and Curry were an excellent backcourt. 

Next season the Dubs will most likely roll out a starting rotation of: Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, and Trayce Jackson-Davis (TJD). This rotation can space the floor well and have elite interior defense with Draymond and TJD. 

TJD is the player all fans should be watching this upcoming season. He shined in his rookie year last year. Despite being the 57th overall pick, it did not take long for TJD to get into Steve Kerr's tight rotation. The first-year center out of Indiana averaged 8 ppg and 1 block a game, he impressed many right out the gate. The Warriors have been looking for their franchise center ever since the James Wiseman experiment failed, this might be the solution. 

While this wasn’t the dream Warriors offseason, as they failed on getting both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen to join Steph Curry, it was still a success. They added excellent role players to pair with the greatest three-point shooter on earth, and great defenders to pair with the best defensive player in the world. Which means even more guests on Draymond’s podcast. 

This Warriors team is clearly more focused on their future for the post Steph era, but these pieces will still contribute in 2024-25. It’s going to be a battle this season in a loaded Western Conference, luckily Steph Curry is still in his prime.