The 76ers spent the offseason collecting names the Warriors had every reason to circle, and the latest one on that list was Labaron Philon Jr.
Philadelphia landed Philon with the 22nd pick in late June, adding another piece to a summer that already included a blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown and a shock free agency move for LeBron James. The Warriors had shown interest in Philon during the pre-draft process, bringing in the 20-year-old for a workout before he went off the board.
Philon said he could ease the burden on Stephen Curry.
“I would take a lot of pressure off (Curry). At the guard spot being able to get into the paint, create some more gravity for him, and get other guys open,” Philon said.
He wasn’t the only draft prospect tied to Golden State who ended up elsewhere. Cam Carr and Chris Cenac Jr. were also viewed as mid first-round talents, only to slide into the 20s after being linked to the Warriors in the lead-up to the draft.
That made Philadelphia’s summer even more frustrating from a Golden State perspective. The Warriors had also pursued LeBron James and Anfernee Simons in free agency and held trade talks with the Boston Celtics about Brown, but all three players ended up in Philadelphia.
With Bob Myers now having a hand in the 76ers front office, the overlap only stings more for Warriors fans. Myers’ fingerprints were on every major move, and Philadelphia now has a roster built around James, Brown, Simons and Philon - or some combination of the four.
For Golden State, the result is a hard one to ignore. If the Warriors can’t shake off the way last season ended and fall back into the Play-In Tournament, the sight of Philadelphia’s haul will only be tougher to stomach.
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What makes the situation more interesting is the name that keeps surfacing in connection with the Warriors: Devin Booker. There is clearly a sense around the league that Golden State could be thinking bigger than a standard depth addition, especially with Sacramento taking a low-risk flier on Ben Simmons and Steve Ballmer choosing not to push back legally over the NBAs cap-circumvention sanctions, a reminder that the rules landscape around team-building remains very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Could Regret Passing On This Celtics Development Bet
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It also gives the Warriors a fresh reminder of a name they passed on when he was available in trade talks. Boston was able to sell Carter on opportunity over flashier short-term money elsewhere, and that matters in the long run when a team is trying to build depth around a contenders core. Golden State does not need another reason to wonder whether patience with a prospect can turn into regret, but Carters next step will provide one more answer. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans Just Got Pulled Into An Uncomfortable Steph Curry Debate
The latest round of Warriors talk has drifted from game results to the kind of uncomfortable long view that always seems to follow a dynasty. On a podcast, Marcus Thompson II raised the possibility that Golden State could eventually have to make a hard call on Draymond Green if the teams performance slips down the line, a thought that immediately fed broader chatter about how long the core can stay intact. From there, the conversation spilled onto social media, where one post imagined Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all finishing their careers in different places, a stark reminder of how quickly an era can feel like it is closing.
For Warriors fans, Curry remains the emotional center of the whole debate because he has been clear about wanting to stay in Golden State for the rest of his career. Still, the business side is never far away, and his current contract situation only keeps the speculation alive around what the next chapter could look like. Even without any immediate change on the horizon, the conversation has already shifted from whether the dynasty mattered to how much longer its defining pieces can realistically stay connected. [Read more 🡒]