January 02, 2025
Neville E. Guard/Imagn Images
Briefly teammates over the summer during their Olympic run with Team USA, Joel Embiid and Stephen Curry will once again face each other as opponents on Thursday night.
The Sixers complete the West Coast swing of their six-game road trip on Thursday night, back in action against a Golden State Warriors team which looked dangerous early in the season but has sputtered of late, and remains at the center of some interesting trade rumors despite swinging the first major deal of the season/
Here to help us get up to speed on all things Warriors is Charlie Cummings, who writes about the NBA for Swish Theory and hosts The Warriors Invitational podcast. Let's talk to Charlie:
Adam Aaronson: Over the summer, the Sixers participated in a massive trade to help get Buddy Hield to the Warriors. Hield got off to a brilliant start for Golden State, though he has cooled off a bit of late. What have you made of Hield's first season with the Warriors so far?
Charlie Cummings: Hield has been a fascinating inflection point for the season. When the rotation was healthy and he was hot, this looked like a 50-win team. Then injuries struck and Hield went cold. Suddenly, the Dubs are 4-13 over their last 17 contests. This team does second offensive option by committee, banking on their streaky scorers to supplement Stephen Curry at various points. Hield is capable of that for stretches that look great for the team, yet the cold stretches have looked brutal. In short, it’s just the normal Buddy Hield experience.
MORE: Is there anybody worth trading Jared McCain for?
AA: Warriors trade acquisition Dennis Schröder was the first significant rotation piece traded during the 2024-25 season. What have the early returns been like on the deal, and could Schröder become a long-term piece for Golden State?
CC: He’s off to a pretty brutal start, but I am not holding it against him. Ball screen-heavy scorers often have rough landings on motion offense teams and I expect him to adjust. He won’t be shooting under 30 percent from the floor forever.
I could see him being a future piece if he delivers down the stretch. Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Curry-Draymond Green duo value stable veterans, so I’d expect a new deal if Schröder irons out the short-term issues. This was a precursor deal in my mind, one designed to set up a bigger deadline shake-up, and Schröder may look much better if Golden State makes further changes.
AA: Trade rumors surrounding former Sixer Jimmy Butler have continued to heat up in recent weeks, and the Warriors are a team many think will make a run at the six-time All-Star. Do you believe trading for Butler would be in the best interest of the organization?
CC: I’ve gone back and forth on this. Purely on the court, the idea of Curry/Schröder/Butler/Green as a core lineup is awesome. Tough vets, competitive defenders, lots of ways to beat you offensively. What concerns me is how they get there salary-wise.
Can this team afford to trade away a premium athlete in Andrew Wiggins, or another in Jonathan Kuminga? Both have their flaws, but they can certainly fly around the floor. Painting yourself into a corner of older, less athletic veterans could burn them in the short- and long-term. Ultimately I’d like to see other moves, but if the choice were a Butler deal or standing pat, I’m taking the deal. Players like Curry don’t grow on trees.
MORE: How can Paul George find a scoring groove?
• Date/Time: Jan. 2, 10:00 p.m. EST
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, TNT
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