A dynasty that clinched four NBA titles in eight years is now in its downfall. While the Golden State Warriors‘ lack of authority in the league is heartbreaking for the fans, there’s something much worse headed their way. According to 1-time WNBA champion Lexie Brown, the celebrated Big 3 of the Dub Nation are in the endgame now and might not play another season together. On a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Brown predicted how the situation might play out for the Warriors.
The 2021 WNBA Champion said this season would be the last time to see Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green lace up together. As per Brown, Green would be the obvious choice for the Warriors to get rid of first. She said, “I don’t know where they can move Dray, so I think Clay can control his destiny at this point.” Brown believes shipping Green off would create an opportunity for Thompson, soon to be a free agent this summer.
Former NBA star Brandon Jennings also agreed with Brown’s take on the podcast. When asked the same question, Jennings said this was the last time fans would see them together. In his opinion, the myriad of Green’s on-court antics have led to the franchise turning its back on him. Jennings said, “I think after that last time that Draymond got kicked out, I think that was it.”
Even though Chef Curry is averaging 26.5 points, with 4.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists, this has not been a desirable season for the team. The young core, including Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, has taken up the job well. However, Thompson is having an erratic season, and Green has been ejected multiple times due to his antiques.
This has severely derailed the Dub Nation’s journey so far. If they get into the Play-In, it will be a herculean job for the current roster to compete in a stacked Western Conference. Even the Warriors’ owner has hinted towards a step to split the trio.
Joe Lacob hinted at breaking up the Warriors’ Big 3
It’s becoming clearer by the day that having these three in the squad isn’t providing the desired outcome the franchise wishes. More importantly, there is more damage being done by this combination than the kind of positive impact they make on and off the court. Brian Windhorst told ESPN that the Warriors’ majority owner Joe Lacob informed ‘The Athletic’ about his plans to move forward with the team.
According to Windhorst, Lacob’s primary objective is to bring the Warriors under the luxury tax next season. He said,
“I don’t blame him. They have paid hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes over the last decade. This year’s roster is costing them over $380 million including the taxes.”
Windhorst said that the only way for the Warriors to get out of this situation was to break up the Big 3, and they’d be moving in the right direction if they executed the plan. For now, the team seems to have one more opportunity in the play-in tournament to showcase their chemistry which was visible in some of their blow-out wins this regular season. Will they survive the pressure?
