[brid autoplay=”true” video=”744841″ player=”23231″ title=”A%20Lonzo%20Ball%20trade%20to%20the%20Golden%20State%20Warriors%20could%20be%20in%20the%20cards” duration=”50″ description=”With a few days to go ahead of the deadline, there’s rumors surrounding a potential Lonzo Ball trade from the New Orleans Pelicans.In the midst of a career season, the 23-year-old Ball is slated to become a restricted free agent. There’s no telling whether he figures in to the Pelicans’ plans for the future.Rumors of a potential Ball trade have been circulating for pretty much the entire 2020-21 NBA season. That includes the Golden State Warriors previously engaging New Orleans in talks for the former No. 2 pick. Could it happen? According to Klay Thompson’s father, former NBA great Mychal Thompson, it should happen.” uploaddate=”2021-03-22″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/744841_t_1616441819.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/744841.mp4″]
The Golden State Warriors have been the subject of major rumors leading up to the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. The idea is to get Stephen Curry some help as they continue a playoff push in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
When Curry went down in pain during a March 17 win over the Houston Rockets, things seemed to change on a dime. He was down on the court withering in pain while holding his lower back.
At least initially, it was reported to be a minor tailbone contusion. Almost one week later, and that is not the case. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr just announced that an MRI revealed inflammation in the tailbone.
Curry will be reevaluated in another week and is expected to miss at least Golden State’s next three games. At 22-21 on the season, the Warriors are the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Rumors suggest that they are going to be aggressive ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Curry’s injury news might now change things. Here’s three reasons why.
Read More: NBA trade rumors: Latest updates leading up to the March 25 deadline
We can expect the Golden State Warriors to trade Kelly Oubre
Rumors have suggested that Golden State is going to move this impending free agent ahead of Thursday’s deadline. It makes sense for numerous reasons. Oubre is likely looking at $20 million annually on the open market. He also seems to be somewhat of a misfit long-term with Klay Thompson slated to return in 2021-22 and Andrew Wiggins seen as a focal point in Northern California.
With potentially muted expectations following the latest Curry injury news, these Golden State Warriors might ramp up talks with other teams about a potential Oubre trade. After some initial struggles this season, the 25-year-old wing has picked it up big time recently. He’s averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 rebounds on 48% shooting while playing tremendous defense over the past 20 games. Oubre will have trade value.
Read More: Orlando Magic star Aaron Gordon requests trade, 6 potential landing spots reported
Look for general manager Bob Myers to target players on multi-year deals
Even before the Curry injury news, one of the reasons people had mentioned Oubre as a trade candidate was due to his status as a pending free agent. That’s not going to change now. Golden State remains hard-capped and is footing one of the largest luxury tax bills in NBA history. It won’t be players once free agency starts this coming summer.
The idea would be to add a long-term piece to the mix ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Acquiring someone like Houston Rockets All-Star Victor Oladipo would enable the Warriors to retain him via the league’s Bird Rights clause. The same thing can be said about Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic. Whether this happens will depend heavily on the asking price for those two stars and others.
Read More: This is how a Victor Oladipo trade to the Golden State Warriors might look
There’s not going to be an all-in trade from the Golden State Warriors
Short of someone like Indiana Pacers All-Star Domantas Sabonis becoming available or the Warriors viewing Lonzo Ball in a better-than-expected light, there’s not a ton of potentially franchise-altering players available ahead of the deadline. Going all in while risking their long-term future never really made any sense in the first place.
If the Warriors can get Oladipo or Gordon on the cheap, general manager Bob Myers might be willing to pull the trigger. If not, Golden State is now better served waiting until the summer to add more pieces to the mix.
By then, it will know whether that valuable Minnesota Timberwolves’ top-three protected pick will convey in 2021 or be unprotected next year. Other stars players such as Bradley Beal could quickly become available. It makes absolutely no sense to pull off a blockbuster trade amid a seller’s market without any real hope of title contention moving forward on the season.
Click below for more Golden State Warriors rumors ahead of the 2021 NBA trade deadline.
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