Surprising intel suggests the Warriors could be sleeping giants in the West

The Golden State Warriors offseason is all but over, and it hasn't gone as expected after striking out on two stars and being forced to make smaller moves. The Warriors have quietly added Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Milton, and Kyle Anderson, each expected to be rotation players next season.

Those moves may only seem like it would Golden State slightly better, especially after losing Klay Thompson but there are other reasons for optimism. There is the possibility of internal improvement with Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, and Tracy Jackson-Davis taking on larger roles next season. That would boost the Warriors' ceiling and help them make up ground in the Western Conference.

The Golden State Warriors aren't title contenders, yet.

According to the Athletics' Anthony Slater, the Warriors are aware that they aren't contenders at the moment, though they could make a trade to get there during the season. Slater mentions that a rival team, presumably in the West, sees them as a top-4 team in the conference and it's not far-fetched.

The aforementioned young trio could take a big leap, with Podziemski and Jackson-Davis establishing themselves as starters and Kuminga making a star turn. Anderson, Milton, and Hield could all look like good rotation players. Plus Wiggins regains his consistency offensively, and Curry and Green will be able to maintain their level of play for another year--all of which can happen.

In that scenario, the Warriors could challenge for home court while still being able to upgrade their roster further, either ahead of the trade deadline or next summer. Another star may become available or they can chase Lauri Markkanen again.

In the meantime, the Warriors know that they aren't contenders. Nevertheless, they have the potential to be better than expected and can work their way back up to that level beginning next season.