NBA Front Office Confidential: Is it time for the Warriors to rebuild?

The Golden State Warriors are at the inflection point every dynasty eventually reaches, when it has to decide if the chemistry and collective experience of its core players can overcome their natural deterioration from age and injury, and make one more successful run at the NBA’s biggest prize.

Or, if it’s time to turn the page.

"There’s the normal ‘ethical’ thing to do," said an Eastern Conference executive, "which is to continue to pay the franchise icons and let things go into gradual decline. But if your goal was to maximize the long-term success of the franchise, then the move is to trade those guys once the title window is closed."

The initial signals from the Warriors are that they hope to keep their championship core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson together for at least one more season. But there are enough questions about whether that’s possible — beginning with uncertainty about the team’s primary architect, GM Bob Myers — that it seemed worth finding out which teams might be interested if Golden State decided to begin the process of rebuilding.

Green has drawn the most speculation all season long from rival scouts and GMs about potentially being available. Coach Steve Kerr tried to squash that idea in his postseason remarks.

"If Draymond’s not back, we’re not a championship contender," he. said. "We know that. He’s that important to winning, to who we are. I absolutely want him back."

Green, who can opt out of the final year of a contract that would pay him $27.5 million next season, also indicated little desire to go elsewhere. 

"I’ve told you guys for years, I want to be a Warrior for the rest of my life," he said. "I wanna ride out with the same dudes I rode in with."

But with reports that make it seem increasingly likely that Myers could leave when his contract expires next month, and a new collective bargaining agreement set to kick in next season that will fiscally crush the Warriors for having the heftiest player payroll in the league, it remains to be seen if owner Joe Lacob is willing to make that happen.

Based on conversations with several GMs and scouts, Green is viewed as the likeliest one to be moved if Lacob is looking to begin a rebuild and ease his luxury tax burden. 

The teams mentioned were the Detroit Pistons (they have a surplus of young talent and the Michigan native and Michigan State alum would return home as a veteran with a championship pedigree to lead their remaining young talent), the Phoenix Suns (he would fit seamlessly as a defensive anchor and offensive playmaker next to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as a replacement for aging and oft-injured point guard Chris Paul) and the Los Angeles Lakers (he would help ease the playmaking responsibilities of LeBron James and defensive demands on Anthony Davis).

One Western Conference scout took note of Green offering free playoff advice to the Lakers — suggesting in his podcast that they put Jarred Vanderbilt on Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray — and his long embrace with James, his fellow Klutch Agency client, after James and the Lakers ended the Warriors’ season with a Game 6 victory last weekend. 

"I think Klutch and LeBron get Draymond to L.A.," he said.

An Eastern Conference GM put the Suns at the top of the list because of Green’s natural ties with fellow Michigan State alum and Suns owner Mat Ishbia, and Ishbia's unofficial right-hand man, former Pistons legend Isiah Thomas.

"The only way it makes sense for him to opt out is if behind closed doors someone says, ‘Well, we’ll give you two years for $40 million,’" the GM said. "He’s not the same defender. He really can’t score. All those histrionics. Those work at Golden State, but it’s not a traveling show. Most of these coaches and GMs would be afraid of him. The only reason I say Phoenix is the owner is from Michigan State. He’s got Isiah Thomas to help him. They might be able to handle Draymond. I know for a fact Draymond is banking on Phoenix giving him some leverage."

The core member who has fallen off the most is Thompson. He made a miraculous return from a two-year absence due to two major injuries to help the Warriors win the 2022 title, but was a shell of himself in these playoffs, shooting 34% from the field against the Lakers, scoring a total of 27 points in the last three games and struggling defensively. Thompson, 33, will enter the final year of a maximum-salary deal next season that will pay him more than $43 million, but he already has indicated that he expects the Warriors to offer him a maximum-salary extension.

"It is a miracle that guy is still playing," the Western Conference scout said. "Have you watched him in warmups?  His right leg looked totally atrophied, and he never landed on it alone. I admire him. He is a tough bastard to be playing on that leg at this level."

Still, the more likely scenario, several executives suggested, is that the Warriors look to deal several younger players to re-fortify the cast around the three main stars. The top candidates to be moved are second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga, who played sparingly in the postseason, and shooting guard Jordan Poole, who also fell out of favor this postseason, shooting 34% overall and 25% from beyond the arc. The relationship between Poole and Green never quite recovered after a video went viral of Green punching Poole during a preseason practice.

"Poole is a wild card," said the Western Conference scout. "Some team like Houston or Detroit might be desperate enough to go after him."

The Eastern Conference executive seconded that notion. 

"They should trade Poole if they can get anything good for him," he said, "and they should trade Kuminga for value if possible. I can’t imagine there’s a way to move on from Klay or Dray that helps them enough to be worth dumping franchise icons. 

"I think they run it back one more year."

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.