I liked that deal before the Klay injury, partly because the Beard and Klay would be such ideal hoops complements (and likely fast friends, too, as fellow laid back LA kids). There was also that intriguing leaked vid from the all-star break in which Curry reported Harden confiding in him he didn’t like hero ball and wanted to play a better brand of hoops. If the Big 3 and Kerr were on board (which I assume would be a prerequisite to a deal that consequential) I was all in.
With Klay done for the year — and iffy thereafter, sigh — I like it less, mostly cos it would remind me of how much better it would be with Klay. A 1-4 of Steph-Harden-Oubre-Green feels a bit short of an NBA champion (though still damned intriguing) whereas Steph-Harden-Klay-Green (6th man Oubre) feels perfect.
Another issue for me is that while you guys have been politely discussing Nesmith and Pritchard amongst yourselves, I’ve been massively drinking the Kool-Aid on Wiseman, including
this vid of him swishing 30 foot threes in succession and
this one of his trainer raving about his peerless work ethic and saying he would be a better player than David Robinson or Anthony Davis.
While I understand logically that “better than Robinson and Davis” is not particularly likely, there’s a mystery and joy in watching a young blue chipper try to get there that’s distinct from simply cold-hearted “maximizing immediate-term title chances,” which is what that Harden deal represents. Wiseman is no longer just an intriguing prospect to me, post-draft; he’s a Warrior, and the most exciting rook we’ve had since Curry, or really since Webber.
Meanwhile, the Kansas “Slash Brothers” Wiggins and Oubre both look ripped and fantastic in practice. Both have had erratic starts to their NBA careers, but are both coming off career seasons and are both long, athletic freaks coming into their age 25 seasons, an age when players sometimes do put things together (Steph, Klay and Draymond all turned it up a notch right around 24-25, e.g.) I want to see that tandem crush it, if nothing else so I can come here and say, “how do you like our ‘Trash Brothers’ now???”
Aaand ... I think Jordan Poole is gonna take a leap this season, too. Plus that Minny pick — a likely top 8-10 in an absolutely stacked 2021 draft — looks really tasty. And as you note, our picks post Steph prime start to have real value, particularly if you’re taking away Wiseman and our Minny 2021.
On a side note: Chris Mullin’s playful offseason edict that that the Warriors “get more lefty” need not require the Beard, as it has already already been satisfied four times over with Wiseman, Oubre, Bazemore, and draft-and-stash sharpshooter Justinian Jessup. Yankee Stadium, watch out.
TLDR: I wouldn’t hate it if that Harden deal were struck, but on balance would rather just stand pat, see what the Curry-Oubre-Wiggins-Green-Wiseman team looks like, and bide my time.