Vincent Frank
The struggling Golden State Warriors enter this week’s NBA action with a disastrous 19-24 record and as the 12th seed in the Western Conference.
Golden State is not anywhere near a top-end title contender in the Western Conference. Heck, Steve Kerr’s squad could very well struggle making it into the NBA Play-In Tournament.
This has led to widespread rumors that Golden State could look to blow it up ahead next week’s NBA trade deadline. We now have more information on this courtesy of The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The report is eye-opening.
“They’re gonna take calls on Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul. Could they get interest even on a guy like Klay Thompson? I think those are very much open conversations for the Warriors. They have to be open-minded.”
Report on Golden State Warriors’ NBA trade deadline plans
It does seem as if everyone outside of Stephen Curry and potentially Jonathan Kuminga could be available over the next week or so. Whether anything comes to fruition on this end remains to be seen.
Golden State Warriors should trade Chris Paul
Of the three names Charania mentioned, Paul seems to make the most sense as trade bait. The 38-year-old veteran is practically playing under an expiring contract. His $30 million salary for next season is non-guaranteed, making the contract pretty darn valuable in the process.
Paul is not the player he was earlier in his career. He offers very little on-court value. Instead, it’s all about the contract and how another team could move off a long-term deal to save money moving forward. The Chicago Bulls seem to be a potential fit with Zach LaVine already being linked to Golden State.
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Additions and subtractions for the Golden State Warriors ahead of NBA trade deadline
There is a real scenario that suggests the Warriors retool behind Curry rather than rebuild. Moving off either Paul or Wiggins could make sense in this regard.
Wiggins, 28, is in the midst of a down season and boasts a relatively large four-year, $109 million contract. Despite this, contending teams have shown interest in the three-and-D wing.
As for the Warriors, they are also being linked to Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Dejounte Murray on the NBA trade block. Using Paul’s expiring as well as assets in the form of young players and/or draft picks could move the needle in that regard.
One thing we do know is that Golden State is highly unlikely to trade Klay Thompson. Despite his down season, he’s part of the core three. It makes no sense to break up that group.
The same thing can be said about 21-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga. After being involved in trade rumors over the past calendar year, he’s taken off big time. The 2021 lottery pick is averaging 17.6 points and 5.9 rebounds on 57% shooting over the past 22 games.
