2007-2010: Rising and Falling

The Golden State Warriors faced early difficulties in remaining a playoff contender. Shooting guard Jason
Richardson was also traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for rookie Brandan Wright. To make things harder,
Stephen Jackson received a 7-game suspension for his firearm incident. The Warriors opened the season
with six straight losses, but Monta Ellis' rise, Baron Davis solid injury-free season (21.6 points, 8 assists,
4.6 rebounds per game),[9], and an overall improvement in chemistry brought the Warriors back in playoff
contention. Nonetheless, the Warriors were officially eliminated from the 2008 Western Conference
Playoffs, despite having a 48–34 season. The Warriors sold out nearly every home game during the season
averaging 19,631 per game, the highest in team history.

Over the offseason, Baron Davis opted out and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. With the 14th pick of
the 2008 NBA Draft, the Warriors selected and signed Anthony Randolph out of Louisiana Stat University.
To compensate for the loss of Davis, the Warriors signed Corey Maggette and Ronny Turiaf then resigned
Monta Ellis and Andris Biedriņš to long-term contracts.

The Warriors had a disappointing 2008-2009 season, finishing 29-53. Monta Ellis was injured and
suspended for a moped accident, depriving the Warriors of their top player. The Warriors traded forward Al
Harrington to the New York Knicks for guard Jamal Crawford, but were undone by injuries and the
minimal experience of their young players such as Anthony Morrow and Brandan Wright. The Warriors'
head coach Don Nelson often had to make adjustments to the starting lineups since many of the original
starters missed games due to injuries. Despite the team's losing record, the Warriors demonstrated that they
could be a tough opponent with a healthy lineup and a strong bench. The Warriors showed that with
leadership and improvement in their young players, they are able to defeat powerhouse teams such as their
99–89 win over the Boston Celtics.

During the 2009 offseason, Golden State declined to renew the contract of General Manager Chris Mullin.
Larry Riley took over as General Manager and drafted Stephen Curry with the 7th lottery pick. In the 2009
offseason, the Warriors traded Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.

The Warriors had another injury-prone year, as they were unable consistently to field their ideal starting
lineup. In November, a discontent Stephen Jackson and seldom-used Acie Law were traded to the Charlotte
Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanović. Four days later they signed center Chris Hunter. During
the month of January 2010, they signed multiple 10-day contracts, including one to power forward Anthony
Tolliver from the Idaho Stampede. Due to a great number of injuries, the Warriors were granted an injury
exception and signed Reggie Williams from the Sioux Falls Skyforce to a 10-day contract on March 2,
2010, making it their fifth D-League call up that season, tying an NBA record. The Warriors eventually
waived guard Raja Bell in order to sign Williams for the rest of the year. The Warriors finished the season
26-56, fourth in the Pacific Division.