Inside the NBA crew shares a rough assessment of the Warriors amid the upcoming trade deadline

Last night the Boston Celtics massacred Golden State Warriors on TNT and Inside the NBA‘s Kenny Smith he thinks that’s enough. With the score at 21-20 and the championship bracket closing, Smith doesn’t believe the Warriors should go after the veterans to make another run. Instead, Smith thinks it’s time to Golden State to cut the cord and start rebuilding through trades and the NBA draft. however, that doesn’t mean the Warriors traded the superstar Stephen Curry. Instead, Smith believes that renewal should take place around Curry.

“They’re in a similar situation to the Lakers, but a lot different by the same score,” Smith said during halftime of the Warriors’ 125-85 loss to the Celtics. “Which means when you build/rebuild around LeBron James, you say, ‘Hey, he’s later in life. He might not be the same player, but he’s still a great player, one of the best players in the league.’ LeBron James plays with the ball in his hands, so you have to build a team that really fits, so you’re going to bring in older players.

“I think with Steph Curry, he actually plays a lot without the ball. He runs away from the pickaxe. So now you can say, ‘We’re going to do a young rebuild with young energy to make it easier for him to shoot because he’s more catching and shooting instead of beating people off the dribble.’ Therefore, the reconstruction is different. They should be going young, through the draft, through trades, keeping guys like (Jonathan) Kuminga, not thinking about trading guys like Kuminga at his age. That group is where they need to be.”

Is Kenny Smith’s Inside the NBA co-hosts agree with his hot warriors?

Smith’s approach could allow Golden State to have the best of both worlds — a revamped roster around Curry with pieces who are also young enough to be the next generation of Warriors basketball when the all-time leading scorer decides to retire. Unfortunately, time is not on Curry and the Warriors’ side, which is why some of Smith’s co-hosts disagree with his stance.

Smith’s co-host, Charles Barclayhe took a simpler approach, saying it doesn’t matter what the Warriors do unless they can land a superstar.

“It doesn’t matter what they do unless they go out and get a superstar,” Barkley said. “It’s their only chance … being younger won’t make them better.”

With Curry still showing he can play at a high level, the Warriors face the difficult task of maximizing their window with a generational player without sacrificing an abundance of future assets. It’s a delicate balancing act, and we hope Golden State understands that.