Warriors Offseason

Dunleavy confident Dubs are title contenders with current roster

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The Warriors needed to make a change this offseason after their 2022-23 NBA title defense fell short in the second round of the playoffs.

Several factors played into their season-ending exit, and certain areas of concern had to be addressed to get back into the championship picture. So far, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. believes the right moves were made to help do just that.

"I think anytime you go into an offseason, you try to make adjustments and changes to get yourself back up into that level," Dunleavy told reporters Monday. "First and foremost, you probably don't want to get a call from your star player's agent asking out. That didn't happen, so that's good.

"Secondly, you want to address those things, and I think it puts us in the conversation of, whatever you want to call it, top five, top six, seven teams in the league. I think that's all you can ask for. In [2021-22], we were one of those teams. ... You just want to try to be knocking on the door and come playoff time, have a chance."

The move that stunned the basketball world was Golden State trading Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and future draft picks to the Washington Wizards for veteran point guard Chris Paul. It was the single indication that the Warriors were moving away from their future to focus on winning now.

On top of losing all the young talent in the CP3 trade, the Warriors also said goodbye to Donte DiVincenzo after the 26-year-old agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks.

But Dunleavy's top priority was re-signing Draymond Green after the 33-year-old forward dipped his toes into free agency for the first time. Immediately after that hope became a reality, Dunleavy hopped on the phone with Dario Šarić and, one week later, both sides agreed to a one-year deal for the upcoming season, sources confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole. They also agreed to a one-year deal with veteran guard Cory Joseph.

Additionally, Golden State added some young talent in the 2023 NBA Draft, selecting Brandon Podziemski (No. 19 overall) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (No. 57).

The Warriors lost some players and they gained some players, but Dunleavy is excited about how the roster is shaping out and confident in pursuing a fifth ring with their core.

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