What’s next for the Golden State Warriors after their offseason changes?

For the first time since 2011, the Golden State Warriors are in the offseason without guard Klay Thompson on the roster, after the four-time NBA champion joined the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal in July.

Thompson’s exit marks the end of an era in the Gulf. The Warriors still have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, along with coach Steve Kerr, but the roster will have some new faces hoping to lead Golden State back to the Western Conference playoffs after losing the play-in tournament to the Sacramento Kings last season.

Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton were brought in after Thompson’s departure. The Warriors are in talks with the Utah Jazz for All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, but that’s stuck. The Warriors will have a lot to think about as they try to get the most out of what’s left of their championship-winning core.

Here are the biggest questions and a look at where things go during the important offseason for the Warriors.

Will the Warriors make a move after Lauri Markkanen talks fall apart?

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The Warriors have high value on younger pieces, sources told ESPN, including Podziemski and fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga. Any trade that integrates either player should help the team’s long-term success more than it would otherwise, the source added.

Golden State intends to hold onto the player “very tightly,” and anything that could loosen that grip would have to be a “tremendous offer.”

Sources also told ESPN that what the Jazz are asking in return for Markkanen is to make a “bad deal” for the Warriors, and that talks have stalled.

On Wednesday, Markkanen agreed to a contract renegotiation and a five-year, $238 million contract extension with the Jazz, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The new deal prevents Markkanen from being traded for six months – which pushes him to the Feb. 6 deadline and means he is ineligible for a move until next season.

The Warriors don’t feel under a lot of pressure to make another move. Currently, neither player is “sufficiently available” that the Warriors are “hot,” according to team sources, who say they have taken the necessary steps to improve their disappointing season.

How will the Warriors’ new players fit in after Thompson’s exit?

Thompson’s departure, as well as the release of Chris Paul before giving $30 million to be guaranteed, allows Golden State to get under the $178.7 million luxury tax threshold – which is a priority for the ownership group of the Warriors.

After having spent $677 million in penalties since the 2013-14 season and in taxes four of the past six seasons, said ESPN front office sources who have financial flexibility “really really fun.”

That allowed Anderson and Hield to join the Warriors as part of Thompson’s sign-and-trade deal (which involved six teams) from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers. Melton also arrived from Philadelphia as a free agent, signing a $12.8 million exemption from the mid-level tax.

The top attributes the team is looking for to replace Thompson and Paul, which the three rookies need, especially Hield.

Since entering the NBA in 2016-17, Hield has the second most 3-pointers made during that span (1,924), trailing only rookie backcourt partner Curry (2,154). Hield’s 1,295 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers are also ahead of both Curry and Thompson during that span.

Hield also leads the league in 3-pointers since the start of the 2019-20 season (1,322) and said he will be a good fit for the Warriors.

“I watched these guys play all (the time) in college, even in the pros; when they played, they were a fun team to watch because of the ball movement and the way Steph, Draymond, Andrew (Wiggins) and the way the coach. Coach Steve,” Hield said in July. “I just feel like it fits, but everything takes time to learn. It shouldn’t be too hard.”

Hield added there will be no pressure to replace Thompson.

“I’ve loved watching him over the years, he’s special. The way he can get hot and the way he can change games, both players, he’s a champion,” Hield said. “So I don’t see it as pressure, but I think it’s nice to be in that role and see if I can see the same.”

Anderson, fondly nicknamed Slo-Mo, has handled the uncanny and talked about his versatility in switching different positions on the court. But the 6-foot-9 swingman will also bring a defensive boost. According to Second Spectrum, opposing shooters recorded a 40.7% field goal percentage when Anderson denied shots in 2023-24. That ranked second among more than 200 defenders to contest at least 500 attempts last season.

Melton will also be relied upon to provide defense. Those numbers won’t stop there, but the Warriors hope he continues to be a top defender. He was one of six players to average more than 1.5 steals per game each of the past two seasons.

How do Curry and Green feel about the Warriors’ turnaround?

Curry, Green and the Warriors have balanced how the stars want to be a decision in the organization.

Sources told ESPN that neither Curry nor Green want to be the “final decision maker” on any moves or trades. But he wanted a consultation.

“Steph has said, ‘Look, I don’t want to make that decision. It puts me in a different place than all my friends. I don’t want to,'” a source told ESPN.

Before Thompson decided to leave for Dallas, he asked his teammates not to take ownership on his behalf. He asked them not to push the front office, or lobby for anyone in the organization. He just asked them to respect the decision they made. And they did.

Curry and Green will be the first to say it feels strange that Thompson isn’t around. Ahead of Team USA’s run at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Curry told Andscape that he didn’t “know my emotions” yet, while Green told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth during summer league that he “discovered my emotions.”

However, both stars said they were excited about the moves Golden State has made so far this summer, sources said.

Green’s future is up in the air as the 34-year-old has two years left on a four-year, $100 million extension he signed through 2022.

Curry, 36, has a contract that expires after the 2025-26 season, but is eligible for a $62.2 million extension this summer. During summer league, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said he “will find out” and believes Curry “will be a Hero for life.”

Sources added Curry and Green expressed confidence that what happened this season could help the team — as long as the team remains competitive.

“I want to win. Let’s put it this way, this is a very long way of saying that your situation is a bottom feeder and just because you want to stay there, I’m going to have a hard time with it,” Curry told Andscape. “But I don’t think that’s going to be a reality.”

What will happen to Kuminga, Moses Moody and other young Soldiers?

Along with Curry, Dunleavy added two other names he wanted: Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Both are poised to take on bigger roles with the Warriors this season, along with second-year players Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis who will now remain on the roster.

But nothing will be given away, one of the sources told ESPN. Besides Curry and Green, the remaining three spots in the Warriors’ starting lineup — as well as the rotation — will be considered “wide open” heading into training camp, sources said.

Kuminga and Moody, who are each entering their fourth season in the league, are both eligible for five-year extensions in October. Barring an extension, he will be an unrestricted free agent after next season. Kuminga is eligible to sign a five-year extension up to $224 million, while Moody’s deal could be $11-13 million per season.

Talk of a player extension is not yet on the horizon for the Warriors, but Dunleavy said, “Those things will be picked up.”

“We want them here,” Dunleavy said. “We believe in them, we plan.”

How would Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse fit in on Steve Kerr’s coaching staff?

The Warriors had to fill two vacancies on staff after Kenny Atkinson left to become head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died in February.

Kerr has relied on Atkinson — who previously coached the Brooklyn Nets — to develop young players, as well as implement a defensive scheme.

The team will now replace those coaches with Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse. A front office source told ESPN that “diversifying” the staff and “bringing in new blood” are necessary steps.

Golden State will split up some of Atkinson’s former responsibilities. Stackhouse, who spent five seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt, will have a role with the defense, sources told ESPN, a position that former assistant Mike Brown held while with the Warriors.

Stackhouse will team up with longtime assistant coach Chris DeMarco, who helped shape the Warriors’ defense.

Stotts, who spent eight seasons as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2012 to 2021 before becoming an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, will focus more on helping the Warriors’ offense. He spent one season with the Warriors in 2004 as an assistant coach and as someone in the organization “fits Steve Kerr’s coaching model.”

A source told ESPN they felt Stotts and Kerr were “kindred spirits,” and that Kerr has always respected Stotts’ offensive acumen and how he has communicated with players.