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The Golden State Warriors (27-24) offense fell apart in the second half en route to a 113-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers (29-21) on Tuesday at Chase Center.
The Warriors were held to just 39 second-half points, and overall they had 20 turnovers and were outrebounded 55-34.
VJ Edgecombe had a game-high 25 points, while Pat Spencer and Gui Santos tied for the Warriors’ team high with 13 points.
Here are two takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
Warriors Need a Trade Deadline Plan B If They Don’t Land Giannis
There’s a line of thinking that the Warriors should do nothing at the trade deadline if they don’t land Giannis Antetokounmpo. The premise is no move will make them a title contender, so they might as well keep Jonathan Kuminga and all their draft picks.
I disagree with this line of thinking.
The Warriors are severely lacking size and talent. The rest of this season is an opportunity to bring in a player or two or three who can help the team this season, but more importantly, get comfortable with the Warriors to help them more next season.
Tuesday’s game is an example of what you don’t want this season to become.
The Warriors had two free-throw attempts in the whole game. That’s the lowest total for an NBA team this season.
They need a guard who can run a unit for stretches while Stephen Curry sits. They need a wing who can score. They need a center who can rebound.
Otherwise, they will continue to have guys being forced into roles they shouldn’t be playing, which won’t help this team get better.
In What Could Have Been His Last Game as a Warrior, Draymond Struggles
Steve Kerr confirmed Tuesday that Draymond Green has been in trade talks leading up to the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported Tuesday that “Green and his camp are well aware that the prospect of him being sent to Milwaukee is very real.”
It seems likely that he’ll stay put if the Warriors lose the Giannis sweepstakes, and that’s the most likely conclusion.
Still, Green came into the game knowing it could be his last as a Warrior, and he simply didn’t have it.
He finished with six points on 2-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists and one turnover. Most notably, he was a minus-27.
Green hasn’t been nearly as impactful as usual this season on both ends, as the plus/minus numbers show. Entering Tuesday, his net rating was plus-0.1, per Cleaning the Glass. After Tuesday’s game, it will fall to a negative number and likely be the lowest it has been since his rookie season.
So it’s no surprise that the Warriors are willing to trade Green as part of a package to land Giannis. One could argue they should be looking to shop him for lesser players, but his value as a declining 35-year-old is probably so low that it won’t make sense to trade him for anyone else.