NBA free agency: The 3 biggest losers in this offseason so far

No. 1 biggest loser in free agency so far: Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals, their fourth title since 2015, and entered this past season as a top team to repeat. They disappointed, as they finished the season with a record 44-38 and finished as the No. 6 seed. They did make it to the second round of playoffs but were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Warriors’ struggles were immediate due to an altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. This was a cause behind them doing so poorly, especially on the road finishing with the fourth worst road record in the league.

The Warriors had the option of doing away with either Poole or Green. They made the right choice in trading Poole because Green is the heart, soul, and engine of that team. The team would re-sign Green for four years and $100 million. In return for Poole, the Warriors got a 38-year-old Chris Paul.

The Chris Paul pickup wouldn’t be as bad if it weren’t for his huge contract that has two years and $60.8 million left on it. That is a lot of money to be paying someone for them to be just your sixth man. Taking on this contract means the Warriors are spending around $173 million between Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Chris Paul.

This would cause them to lose Donte DiVincenzo to the Knicks, who was a very solid role player for them last season. More importantly, the Warriors don’t have the cap space to answer one of their biggest weaknesses last season which was the lack of rim protection.

The Lakers took full advantage of that last postseason as Green and Kevon Looney couldn’t do anything against Anthony Davis or LeBron James. If the Warriors want to win another Championship, they are going to be playing against teams that have great big men or teams with players who love attacking the basket.

The Warriors haven’t made the necessary changes to their team in order to compete for a championship next season. Why will everyone have a little bit of hope for them, don’t be surprised if they look a lot like last season. This makes them the biggest loser so far this offseason.