Three questions about Golden State Warriors ahead of 2024-25 season

Two years ago, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title. Last season, they missed the playoffs after getting blown out in the play-in game. After a summer in which franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson departed, here are three questions for the Warriors heading into the new season.

1. Can the front office get Steph Curry some help?

The Warriors were reportedly active this summer trying to bring in another star to pair with 36-year-old Steph Curry. The organization made a push to trade for Paul George before the L.A. Clippers decided to let him leave for the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent. Then, later in the offseason, the team's pursuit of Lauri Markkanen ended when the Utah Jazz signed their All-Star to a contract extension.

Golden State did manage to turn Klay Thompson's departure into a sign-and-trade that yielded three players: De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. All useful players, none of them difference-making stars. The Warriors are hard-capped at the first apron of $178.1M, meaning that they don't have a lot of flexibility to make moves. Are they willing to trade future picks and young players, or simply accepting their fate as a non-contender?

2. Will Jonathan Kuminga develop into a star?

Kuminga, 21, has a ton of talent. He's great at driving to the basket, great at drawing fouls and probably the best athlete on the entire Warriors roster. Last season, the developing forward upped his scoring from 9.9 to 16.1 points while starting a career-high 46 games. At the same time, though, his three-point shooting was a subpar 32.1%, he grabbed only 4.8 rebounds per game and he often hurt the team with defensive lapses, either in man-to-man defense or help in rotations.

Kuminga's lack of shooting can make him an awkward fit playing small forward alongside Draymond Green and a center. He and Andrew Wiggins were an awful combination to start the season, especially when Wiggins was likewise struggling to hit outside shots or crash the boards. While playing alongside Green should be a huge boon to Kuminga's defensive improvement, the Warriors will need to see his jump shot improve and his awareness match his athleticism if they are to have playoff aspirations.

3. Can Draymond Green behave himself?

If you're looking for the biggest reason the Warriors disappointed last season, look no further than Draymond Green's multiple ejections and suspensions. In games that saw Green play more than two minutes, the Warriors went 33-21. When Green was suspended, injured, resting or kicked out early, the Warriors went 13-15. The former is a 50-win pace, the latter projects to 38 wins for an 82-game schedule. In the highly competitive Western Conference, Green's absence may have been the difference between the Warriors finishing fifth and finishing 10th.

Did Green's lengthy suspension curb his propensity for technical fouls and suspensions? It's hard to say that it did. He racked up six technical fouls after returning to the team — plus one ejection just 3:36 into a big road game against the Orlando Magic that drove Steph Curry to tears . But as frustrating as Green's antics can be, the Warriors desperately need him on the court to anchor their defense and work his two-man game with Curry. Will his 13th season in the NBA be the one in which he finally grows up?