The Warriors need to get younger, but not too young.
The Golden State Warriors went 37-45 this season, their first losing record in a full campaign since 2011, and got bounced in the play-in tournament with Stephen Curry entering the final year of his contract.
ESPN's Anthony Slater recently appeared on 95.7 The Game and spelled out what Golden State has to address this summer.
"You probably want a couple more mid-prime," Slater told Willard and Dibs. "That's been I think the problem over the last few years. Like even remember you trade Andrew Wiggins. It's like man you traded one of the guys that was like late 20's, mid to late 20s."
Slater then summed up the problem in one line.
"You don't want to be loaded with 19-year-olds and 37-year-olds."
The Age Problem Is Real
It is hard to argue with that.
Golden State only rostered five players between the ages of 26 and 30 this season, and not one of them was a full-time starter when the team was healthy.
Curry is 37, Draymond Green is 35, Jimmy Butler is 35, and the young end of the bench was filled with two-way players who barely cracked the rotation.
Now that Butler and Moses Moody are both recovering from major knee injuries that will carry into next season, the gap in the middle of the roster has gotten even wider.
Three Players Worth Watching
If the Warriors are serious about filling that gap, there are a few names worth keeping an eye on.
Austin Reaves feels like a massive swing, but if the Warriors seriously want to make a splash, then this is their guy.
The 27-year-old guard averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game this season while shooting 49 percent from the field for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State could go after him through a sign-and-trade involving Kristaps Porzingis.
He would immediately give the Warriors the secondary shot creation they were missing all year.
Then there is John Collins, a 28-year-old forward who put up 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from three for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Collins is heading into unrestricted free agency and could realistically land on the Warriors' mid-level exception.
He does not need the ball to produce, and Steve Kerr could use a lob threat who can also space the floor.
Kawhi Leonard is the other splashiest name on the board.
Kerr recently committed to two more years on the bench, but that only matters if the roster around Curry gets better.
The Clippers are heading toward a full rebuild, and multiple reports have indicated Golden State will re-engage on Leonard this summer after nearly getting a deal done at the deadline.
The Warriors have to find players who still have real basketball ahead of them, because the clock on Curry's window is running whether they act on it or not.
