The Golden State Warriors have been involved in trade rumors that would net them a star pretty much all offseason long.
After missing out on the playoffs for the third time in five seasons, the Warriors really need to add more talent behind the legendary Stephen Curry. That was magnified by the departure of fellow four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.
Most recently, Golden State has been involved in trade talks with the Utah Jazz for All-Star big man Lauri Markkanen. He seems to fit what the team needs in that Markkanen is a 7-foot big who can score (23.2 PPG last season) and shoot from distance (40% from three).
At issue here is working with Jazz front office head Danny Ainge. He’s known for being a tough negotiator and asking for well above market value in trades.
Utah has set it sights on young Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski in any trade package surrounding Markkanen. It’s something the Warriors have pushed back against big time.
“They don’t want to trade [Podziemski],” The Athletic Golden State Warriors reporter Anthony Slater told local radio station 95.7 FM. “He’s beloved organizationally … One of the rare aspects to him, compared to the Warriors’ other recent picks, is Steve Kerr couldn’t keep him off the floor as a rookie.”
We now have more on this courtesy of Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
“Oh my god, he was a revelation to be quite honest,” Lacob said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He started a whole bunch of games for us. Steve (Kerr) had trouble getting him off the floor. I mean, he had to have him on the floor – he was so good. He does so many things well. He’s ultra-confident.”
Whether this is the owner’s way of speaking highly of Podziemski to media amid trade rumors or something else, it does tell us a story.
Golden State Warriors high on Brandin Podziemski amid growing trade rumors
What we do know is that the 2023 first-round pick out of Santa Clara did show out big time as a rookie. Podziemski averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 39% shooting from distance. He was a tremendous player on the defensive end of the floor, too.
All of this comes amid speculation that fellow youngster Jonathan Kuminga could be involved in trade talks with the Jazz for Markkanen. As of right now, they seem to have their eyes set more on Podziemski.
Whether that holds up a trade remains to be seen. But the Warriors must do something significant if they want to be seen as legitimate NBA title contenders moving forward.