The NBA Finals wrapped up just over a month ago, but we’re already looking ahead to next season.
NBA win total lines are LIVE on DraftKings Sportsbook along with a bunch of other futures markets. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be breaking down my favorite over/under picks for a variety of teams around the association. In case you missed it, check out my last win total article for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Without further ado, let’s dive into my best bet for the Golden State Warriors.
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Golden State Warriors: UNDER 43.5 Regular Season Wins (+105)
Let’s recap the Warriors’ offseason…
Spoiler alert, it hasn’t been pretty.
You Can’t Always Get What You Want… and Golden State Didn’t
First, the Dubs lost franchise legend Klay Thompson. This wouldn’t have been the biggest deal if they had made a lateral move to replace him, but so far that hasn’t exactly been the case. Buddy Hield is a solid bench option, but his production has dipped steeply over the last two years. Then, they were rumored to be in on Paul George, a move that could have sprung the Warriors back into Western Conference contention.
They didn’t get him.
Then, Lauri Markkanen emerged as a legitimate trade candidate. At 27 years old, the 7’0 sharpshooter would have been the perfect player to walk the line between Steph Curry’s final years and the era that followed his retirement.
Markkanen just signed a five year, $238 million extension with the Jazz on Wednesday, August 7.
What’s Going on With Wiggins?
The Warriors also continued their bizarre dramatic saga with Andrew Wiggins, who has been rumored to be on the move for years now. Wiggins was prepared to suit up for Canada in the Olympics this summer, but ultimately pulled out prior to the tournament. Golden State claimed this was a mutual decision made by the organization and Wiggins, but Team Canada GM Rowan Barrett made it sound like it wasn’t exactly the player’s call.
As for where things currently stand between the Warriors and Wiggins, it’s anyone’s guess.
It’s Just Not Enough
Now, GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. did bolster his squad’s bench, adding De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson along with Hield. However, their current starting lineup looks something like Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. I’m not sure that roster is good enough to land a top seven seed in the EAST, let alone the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.
I fully expect the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Suns, Pelicans, Kings, Rockets and Grizzlies to put together stronger regular season campaigns than the Warriors next year, with potential for the Lakers, Clippers, and even the Spurs to do the same. That would land them somewhere between the 10th and 13th seed, not nearly good enough to win 44 games.
To be clear, those are my predictions if Curry actually stays healthy for a majority of the year. If he suffers a serious injury, we could be looking at a repeat of the 2019-2020 season. As elite as Steph is even at 36 years old, he’s not capable of carrying this team to 44 wins as currently constructed.
That’s my favorite NBA futures bet for the Golden State Warriors! Stay tuned for more picks over the coming weeks.
Place your NBA bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
