The San Antonio Spurs could capitalize on Warriors' desperation

The Golden State Warriors are perhaps the second-greatest NBA Dynasty ever, falling only short of the San Antonio Spurs. Much like the Spurs from 1997-2018, it seems like the Warriors will never fall off and be good forever, but their window is closing. Sure, they won the NBA title last season, but Steph Curry is out for as long as a month, and he was really the only player keeping Golden State in contention this season.

With a closing window and an unwillingness to develop their young talent, the best Golden State can hope to do is tread water until Curry comes back. Presently, they would be led by Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole. Wiggins is the only semi-All-Star out of the bunch, and the Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference.

The Warriors need to make a deal to compete and have young pieces the Spurs could use

Enter San Antonio. The Spurs have a handful of “win now” players who could elevate the floor of the woefully depleted Warriors team. Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott, and Keita Bates-Diop all could play a role in Golden State as they struggle to make the playoffs. The Spurs are virtually eliminated from the postseason, so the Spurs could keep the youth movement going by cashing in with Golden State.

It’s worth mentioning that the Warriors still have firepower, even with Curry out, but they have a horrid defense. They allow the fifth most points in the league and hold their opponents to an average field goal percentage, so their defense could use a boost. With struggles in the backcourt, I think the Warriors might actually be most interested in Romeo Langford. 

Landford fits the Spurs' rebuild, but his growth on both ends of the floor would encourage the Warriors to overpay for him. Golden State owns all their future picks aside from 2024 (Memphis), so Poeltl, McDermott, Richardson, Bates-Diop, and Langford could yield a return of James Wiseman, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and those picks. Of course, the Spurs would need to take some salary back, and Draymond Green is the only hefty contract that the Warriors might want to unload. 

The Spurs could add some much-needed defense to the Warriors

While technically legal and plausible, the Spurs could swap their five players for four Warriors and some draft picks, which Golden State has no shortage of. Sure, it's a massive haul, but Golden State could pick and choose. Do they want to boost offense with Richardson and McDermott or improve their defense with Langford and Poeltl? Either way, the Spurs would add young talent.

Also, the Spurs could go after picks instead of young players if they are unsure of the potential there. The Spurs have mostly been tied to the Lakers and the Heat, but a potential contender could also be thrown into the mix.