Gone are days when every Golden State Warriors game is basically a mere formality. They are not the gangbusters from years back, and all that’s left after trades, retirements, and injuries are Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who are both in their 30s and had piled a history of injuries.

Though the Dubs have injected new blood, the collective impact has been very minimal outside rookie James Wiseman’s decent start (11.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG). Andrew Wiggins has seemingly taken a step back after a promising arrival in February 2020, while off-season signee Kelly Oubre is performing way, way below expectations. The two are a combined 47-for-142 from the floor in five games this season, which equates to an appalling 33% shooting.

Through those struggles, the Warriors are now 3-3 and dead-last in points allowed (124.0 PAPG). They could be easily 2-4 too as that win over the Chicago Bulls was luck more than anything – and their recent win against the Blazers required Steph Curry to score 62 points.

Considering all that and knowing how aggressive the team’s front office is, we shouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of moves soon. They need reliable firepower and they need it now.

So, who needs to go? Why is it Draymond?

The choices are narrowed down. It’s certainly not going to be Wiseman because he’s the future, and Wiggins and Oubre have dwindling value due to their atrocious stretch – the former’s massive contract and downward trajectory isn’t appealing too. That leaves them Draymond Green, as tough as it may be.

Green is the team’s emotional and defensive leader ever since breaking out in 2013, but for someone coming off a foot injury and a COVID-19 infection, which he appears to be struggling with, he doesn’t look to be a fit under a semi-rebuilding squad. He made his season debut on Saturday, and though four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 17 minutes is serviceable, he only went 0-for-3 from the field and didn’t score a single point, while also committing four fouls.

You might be think that those factors wouldn’t be attractive to other teams, similar to Wiggins and Oubre’s case. That’s fair, but don’t forget that unlike those two, Green is a very accomplished player, which should be enough to keep his value into a tradeable level. He has an enormous playoff experience that has resulted in three NBA championships, as well as a Defensive Player of the Year hardware in 2017, and seven combined All-NBA (2) and All-Defensive team (5) selections.

Green is the ceiling-raiser that playoff squads need, especially ones who are one or two moves away from being a true championship contender. They’ll come calling quick if he’s available, and they’ll be willing to unload picks and certain pieces.