Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is never afraid to speak candidly about any issue. He was asked about tanking in the NBA and gave a typically thoughtful answer that makes one think about where the Warriors are at right now, and where they could be in a few years.
Kerr talked about how he understands why teams tank because the allure of landing a franchise-altering player through the NBA Draft is too good to pass up. But he also acknowledged how it degrades the product on the court, saying, “it’s not good for the fans, for the league itself.”
Warriors aren’t taking now, but they might have to in a few years
The long-tenured Warriors coach also noted that the Warriors are actively trying to win on a nightly basis and aren’t tanking. Of course, earlier this season Golden State did sit their stars against the Oklahoma City Thunder so they’d be rested for their next opponent, knowing they had a better chance of beating them. One could argue that is a form of mini-tanking, but it could also be argued that approach is in service of a greater goal of winning throughout the year.
Obviously, as long as Stephen Curry is on the Warriors, the team isn’t going to tank. The 2x MVP is still too good for the team to completely rebuild. Even if the Warriors are now basically a perennial Play-In team, they are still relevant enough that they can justify trying to compete every single year even if Kerr himself has acknowledged that the Warriors aren’t going to be in the hunt for titles every year like the Thunder.
Golden State’s trade deadline reflects the strange state the franchise is currently in. The team obviously made a push for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he ultimately stayed put. That forced the Warriors to switch to Plan B which ended up being a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
The move could make the team better, but it doesn’t appreciably change the trajectory of the team the rest of this season. Probably no move could have done that other than a trade for Giannis.
The Warriors will obviously not tank this season or next,, but it’s easy to imagine this team a few years from now being one of those NBA teams that is simply playing for draft position. After Curry, Draymond Green, Kerr and all the remnants of the dynasty years are gone, the Warriors may have nothing else to do other than try to get lucky in the lottery.
It’s a sad but inevitable reality for a franchise that Kerr has dubbed a “fading dynasty.” Empires rise and fall as do dynasties. It’s sad to see it happening in slow motion with the Warriors, but it’s also foolhardy to think that they could have continued their dominance forever.
The Warriors may not be a team that tanks now, but going forward that could be a very distinct reality for the franchise.