Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason

3. Warriors secure their place amongst the top in the West

The only building from the ground up going on for the Warriors was the new arena they’ll relocate to at the start of the 2019-20 season.

If this were a rebuild for Golden State, however, new fans would have the worst time adjusting to the idea of starting from scratch versus old fans that have seen the likes of Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis, and Baron Davis move on while the front office focused on building up their younger core.

However, that’s not the case this go around. Yes, Kevin Durant decided to go elsewhere despite the many declarations from that of Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green as the prior season came to a close.

Even as Durant’s exit was announced, the Warriors were still in a great situation to compete once Thompson recovered from his torn ACL injury suffered during Game 6 of the NBA Finals—adding All-Star D’Angelo Russell was simply a bonus.

The news of the sign-and-trade involving Russell and Durant was at first a bit of head-scratcher for the viewing world. What was the fate of Russell in the long haul? Why sign him to such a lucrative amount of money? Was there another deal to follow shortly?

The simple answer: No.

Barring a chemistry meltdown, Russell apparently will be a part of the next core to contend for the Warriors according to general manager Bob Meyer.

As Thompson rehabs from his injury, Russell will more than likely serve as Curry’s running mate in the backcourt for next season. How the minor/major kinks adjust themselves as Thompson returns will have to remain unseen for the time being. If the trio can mesh well, the Warriors remove themselves from any rebuilding conversation.