The Golden State Warriors have been the most impressive dynasty of the last decade. However, Father Time catches up to all, and the Warriors’ run looks to be at an end. Will Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry ever play together again? Before making up your mind at the NBA betting sites, let’s take a look at the NBA odds and potential destinations of each player.
At BetOnline (check our BetOnline Review), you can find odds for the Warriors stars and their potential next teams. The Golden State Warriors are at the end of their run with this current iteration of the team. The team is too old and slow to compete with the top teams in the West. This is why many think that Bob Myers chose to leave the organization. He saw the writing on the wall but did not want to make the tough decisions and ruin the relationships he built while forging the greatest dynasty of the last decade. Now those tough decisions fall on Mike Dunleavy Jr.
How Many Players From the Warriors Dynasty Will Be Back?
Chris Paul
Chris Paul is almost certainly gone. Paul did not fit in well on the Warriors and observers questioned his fit from the start. Pairing him with Steph Curry at this point of their careers did not work because of the defensive liabilities for the team. Also, the Warriors are built on a fast, flowing, motion offense. Paul excelled in a slower environment that features the pick and roll. With Paul’s contract expiring, it is almost certain he will move on from the Warriors.
Early in his career, Chris Paul was almost traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade as being unfair. Yet now Paul has the opportunity to finally don a Lakers jersey. The Lakers star and de facto general manager, LeBron James, loves playing with smart veterans and he and Paul have a strong relationship. At +1000, Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers is a great bet for him to come on the vet minimum.
Draymond Green
Draymond Green provides an interesting conundrum for basketball fans. Green’s style of antagonizing and inciting opponents works well with the two laid-back stars in Golden State, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. However, how many teams need this sort of thing and can absorb Green’s lack of offensive firepower?
Opponents regularly play off of Draymond Green, giving him open shots knowing that he is not a good shooter. This can cause spacing problems for offenses as teams ignore Green and the offense is forced to play four on five. For that reason, only teams that are close to championship contention are really interested in adding Green.
A team that could easily add Draymond Green because of their offensive firepower is the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks need that spark, especially on the defensive end. Once again, we are getting a great price here at +1000. Although it’ll be tough to see him go, I would not be surprised to see Draymond Green in a Dallas Mavericks jersey next season.
Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson is known for his beautiful shooting stroke and his ability to knock down threes. However, after going 0-10 with 0 points in the Warriors’ play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings that eliminated them from postseason contention, it seems that Klay’s time as a Warrior is up.
He commands too much money and is only good on one end of the floor at this point of his career. In his prime, Klay was an underrated player, as he was a great shooter and an excellent on-ball defender who attacked the opposing team’s best scoring option. Now, Klay is a detriment on defense. Because of this, the Warriors will look to go younger and more athletic in their supporting cast.
Thompson needs to go to a young athletic team where his shooting is needed and his lack of defensive ability can be absorbed. The perfect team for this is the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic are a strong young team, but they struggle to space the floor with their lack of shooting.
With the playmaker Paolo Banchero at the helm, the Magic could use a player who can knock down an open shot in order to give Banchero some room to work. The Magic also are excellent defensively and can absorb Klay’s lack of defensive ability at this point in his career. Although they are the favorite, it is rightfully so. Bet the Orlando Magic at +300 to be the next team for Klay Thompson.
Stephen Curry
BetOnline also lists odds for Steph Curry.
Do not bother making this bet. Steph Curry will retire as a Golden State Warrior. The team will always have him and he is the number one focus of their current rebuild.
While jettisoning some of the older veterans for younger more athletic players, Curry will be a mainstay in Golden State and will retire as a Warrior, with his jersey hanging in the rafters.
NBA Picks:
- Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers (+1000)
- Draymond Green to the Dallas Mavericks (+1000)
- Klay Thompson to the Orlando Magic (+300)
*All odds from BetOnline
