Warriors Trades to Consider After 1st Wave of NBA Free Agency
It's been a busy start to the 2023 NBA offseason for the Golden State Warriors.
It's too early to tell whether that's a good thing or not, but no one can accuse the Warriors of sitting idly.
They've had a change in front office leadership (Bob Myers out, Mike Dunleavy Jr. promoted). They potentially added a pair of rotation players on draft night (Brandin Podziemski, the 19th pick, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the 57th). They got out of Jordan Poole's contract (losing Ryan Rollins and Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the process), added long-time nemesis Chris Paul and plucked a pair of veterans out of the free-agent bargain bin (Cory Joseph and Dario Šarić).
Did the Dubs move any closer to championship contention? That's debatable, which is why the front office could already be mulling major moves. If they are, the following three trades could be worth consideration either now or in the future.
Adding Size, Athleticism
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The Trade: Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Cory Joseph to the New York Knicks for Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes
You may have heard this a time or twelve this summer, but the Warriors don't have a lot of size. When Šarić signed, he immediately became the team's tallest player at just 6'10". And since he plays a mostly finesse style, you could argue he doesn't play as big as he's listed.
If the Dubs sought more size, Robinson would bring a ton. He's not only 7'0" tall, but he seems even bigger thanks to his explosive athleticism. He would give this frontcourt more vertical lift than it's had in years, impacting the game as both a shot-blocker and a lob-finisher.
The swap would be costly, of course. Looney has invaluable institutional knowledge of this organization and the way the Warriors want to play. Kuminga has a chance to be special at both ends. Podziemski has impressive offensive polish for a 20-year-old rookie. Joseph offers the kind of safety net you'd prefer to have 35-year-old Stephen Curry and 38-year-old Chris Paul.
And yet, you could argue it's still worth it for the very real chance it makes the Dubs more competitive next season, which should be the primary focus for as long as Curry remains in his prime. Robinson would give Golden State a dimension it doesn't currently have, and Grimes could quickly find his way to major minutes as a plug-and-play, three-and-D wing.
Plucking an Impact Forward Away from the Raptors
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The Trade: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and a 2028 first-round pick to the Toronto Raptors for O.G. Anunoby
If the Warriors made a sketch of their ideal trade target, it might bear a striking resemblance to Anunoby.
He'd give Golden State a lockdown defender it could throw at almost anyone. Because he's hyper-versatile on that end, he could spare the team's other stoppers from taking on the toughest assignment. That means having a fresher Andrew Wiggins on the offensive end and a fresher Draymond Green in general.
And Anunoby is more than a defender. He's also a solid support scorer (16.9 points per game over the past two seasons), an above-average outside shooter (career 37.5 percent) and a capable creator. In other words, he checks just about every box for a high-end role player and should be entering the heart of his prime with his 26th birthday approaching.
If Toronto moves on from Anunoby, it can expect to get a ton in return, so the Dubs would need to put almost all of their assets in play. Yes, that means losing Kuminga, Moody and a future first—plus Payton for salary-matching purposes—but if it improves their championship odds, it might be a deal worth doing.
...or Adding the Other Impact Forward from Toronto
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The Trade: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Chris Paul and a 2030 first-round pick to the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam
Toronto is clearly a team in transition. It's technically unclear how far the Raptors will take things, but they've already moved on from both Nick Nurse and Fred VanVleet. Siakam, who's down to the final year of his deal, could absolutely be next.
If he is, he might be the best player Golden State could potentially afford. He's been a championship co-star (winning a ring against the Warriors in 2019), an All-NBA honoree (twice) and an All-Star (twice). This past season, he joined Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Nikola Jokić as the only players to average 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Doing this deal would cut into Golden State's depth and long-term upside—neither of which is in great supply already–but the Dubs would be stacked if they kept everyone healthy. A starting lineup of Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Siakam and Green looks like a contender, and that quintet would still have Looney, Šarić, Payton and the rookies behind it.
This trade would also commit the Raptors to rebuilding around Scottie Barnes, but they might be heading that direction anyway. If they are, they could get a ton of mileage out of Kuminga, Moody and the pick, and Paul could have value as either an on-court organizer or a functionally expiring contract (his 2024-25 salary is non-guaranteed) to flip.
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