The Golden State Warriors are at home watching 16 teams compete in the NBA Playoffs after failing to qualify themselves.

Stephen Curry appeared on TNT to receive the Clutch Player of the Year award and opened up on how it feels to watch the playoffs from the outside.

“I’m truly just a fan, watching how it plays out. The good thing is that we’re watching the playoffs from the outside looking in, so we can see what is required for us to get back to that level.

I’m taking notes and doing a little scouting. I miss that environment and atmosphere. We don’t want our absence to be another year next year, so trying to get back there.”

Curry spoke about this after winning Clutch Player of the Year despite missing the playoffs, a controversial decision.

However, the four-time champion led the NBA in multiple clutch categories like total clutch points (189), field goals (59), and 3-pointers (32) while shooting 45.7% on those 3-point attempts.

The Warriors finished the season with the No. 10 seed and crashed out of the 9-10 Play-In game when a shorthanded Sacramento Kings side blew them out and sent them home. Curry averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season, carrying Golden State to 45 wins. Their record is among the greatest in NBA history for a No. 10 seed, showing how competitive the West was this year.

If Golden State is serious about contending, they need to make some major changes to their roster over the summer to put themselves in a winning position. The biggest roster decision on their plate is Klay Thompson, who’s come to the end of his max contract and will be a free agent in the summer. 

If the Warriors fail to bring Klay back, it might be a sign of major changes across the roster. Outside of Curry and maybe Draymond Green, no player could be safe. While they’ll look to retain youngsters like Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trayce-Jackson Davis, they all could be on the block if it’s the right price. The Warriors can’t afford to not go all-in in Curry’s twilight years.

Steph proved this year that he’s still capable of leading a team, but not without any supplementary help. All his co-stars were streaky and inconsistent, severely hurting the team’s prospects throughout the season. 

The Warriors do expect to bring Klay back, with Draymond Green talking about how the team always does right by their legends and will do right by Klay.

“I don’t think there’s any scenario where Klay leaves and that’s the best scenario for this team of organization. They did right by me. They’ve done right by Steph. They’ve done right by all of us.”

If Klay returns on a smaller contract, the Warriors could have more flexibility to remake their lineup. That likely leads to players like Andrew Wiggins being put on the trade block to see what can be had. It isn’t clear what moves Golden State can make but we can be sure they’ll be aggressive. 

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Source: Tampa Bay Times