Uninspiring. That’s blatantly what Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s statements from earlier this week were. The GM tried to explain that his front office had been “super aggressive” this offseason given the number of cold calls they had made. In the end, however, their efforts didn’t result in anything. And if there was any clear sign from inside the Golden State Warriors that the dynasty is operating on a (very) delayed timeline, an analyst thinks Dunleavy’s statements explain it perfectly.

The breaking point appears to be six months from now. And the prime reason is the nature of contracts the Warriors veterans have, especially Draymond Green.

“It sounded like we’re about 6 months away from the plug being pulled on this era: Essentially, the trade deadline is February 11, and the new talking point is ‘Hey, we got expiring contracts, $100 million,'” Marcus Thompson II said on Warriors Plus Minus. “Those are only valuable up until February 11, so you got 6 months. The season starts on October 21. So, you’re really looking at 4 months to prove this team is worth keeping together. If not, you cash in them chips.”

After missing out on major offseason targets like LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors’ front office is left holding substantial flexibility from large contracts, with more than $84.5 million in expiring deals from Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green alone, plus additional flexibility around Kristaps Porzingis.

Get the Essentially Dunk Newsletter. League-wide coverage every day on the All-Stars, MVPs, iconic legends, and the drama defining the NBA.

“It’s probably six months left for the Draymond Green era,” Thompson continued. “He’s on a one-year deal, $27.8 million, and doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so that’s a very tradable contract. It felt like this has been coming for a while, but the way Dunleavy was talking, and the way they positioned it, this feels like, ‘Alright, let’s see where we are in February because if we’re not where we need to be, then we’re just going to start selling pieces off and starting over.'”

The situation around Green has been quite tricky after he opted out of his player option and then re-signed for the same amount. Even though head coach Steve Kerr later admitted that their pursuit of LeBron was never really serious, multiple insiders reported that Green had initially opted out to create cap space for James. Linking that to the larger roster, insider Thompson highlighted another harsh reality for Curry and Co.

“There’s no more Kuminga chip, there’s no more young talent to trade, the last chips are these expiring contracts, that is Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis,” Thompson concluded. “It’s these big pieces that they can essentially cash in, and if they cash in one, they might as well cash in all of them.”

Soon after Dunleavy’s recent press conference, following his team’s offseason activity (or lack thereof), insider Monte Poole of NBC reported that the Warriors quickly discovered any potential trade partners were left “unimpressed” with what the Dubs had left to offer, partly because most of it is “replaceable talent.”

Indeed, Jonathan Kuminga, who fell out of favor in the Bay Area multiple times under Steve Kerr over the past two seasons and was shipped out in February, was the last actually tradeable roster piece (on the younger side) that would wow an opponent. One can argue that Brandin Podziemski, who’s in line to get a contract extension on priority, could also be a good trade piece, but his box scores don’t scream championship-contender level.

Tensions around the franchise had escalated after Dunleavy addressed the team’s failed pursuit of high-profile stars and bizarrely introduced a hypothetical scenario of Stephen Curry requesting a trade. Although the GM clarified that the sharpshooter wasn’t going anywhere, the team’s trusted floor general is actually open to the idea…

Draymond Green addresses the part about not being wanted anymore

The Warriors enter the upcoming campaign coming off a disappointing 37-45 record and a play-in tournament exit. Despite fan frustration over a stagnant summer, Dunleavy defended the front office’s strategy, pointing to “cold calls I made, offering a lot of stuff for players” while opting to run back an aging, injury-prone core featuring Curry, Green, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and Porzingis.

Green, however, revealed on his podcast that not having a no-trade clause on his contract wasn’t a dealbreaker for him.

“I think it was something that we could have fought over, but it wasn’t worth fighting over,” Green said. “I think if the Warriors want to trade me at some point in the season, they want to trade me. I’ve never been a guy who wants to stay somewhere where I’m not wanted.”

At 36, Green remains a starter on the Warriors with pretty efficient numbers as well. Last season, the Dubs floor general averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists across nearly 28 minutes of game time a night.

But from the looks of it, come February, if the Warriors aren’t in a good place, and if Kerr and Dunleavy ring him to have a tough conversation, Green might not fight to stay anymore. He has been linked away multiple times across the last few years, most recently as a trade piece to entice Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, who ended up going to Miami instead.

Dunleavy also raised eyebrows when he publicly discussed how the team would react if Curry ever asked to move on. Even though he expressed confidence that Curry will complete his career in the Bay Area and sign a multi-year extension later this month, simply mentioning a trade request added fuel to the perception of an organization preparing for an inevitable rebuild.

“Ultimately, it’s his call, his decision,” Dunleavy said. “Whether that’s allowing his contract to run out and move on or, look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, Joe [Lacob] and I will talk it through. We wouldn’t love it. But he’s earned the right to do what he wants. But as far as the messaging or any idea that he’d be anywhere else, that’s not a thing we’re looking at, or he’s looking at.”

Next season isn’t going to be an easy one for the Warriors. Adam Silver’s scheduling isn’t helping either. That’s because this aging team will have 15 back-to-back sets and 28 nationally televised games. Four of their first five games are away, and seven of their nine final regular-season games will take place on the road!