3 Players the Golden State Warriors Are Most Likely to Target in a Trade
With the Golden State Warriors in the midst of their own personal renaissance, the completion of their ultimate masterpiece is still a work in progress. While most of the key components have already been put in place, there are still a few more shades to add in the form of trades.
It almost seems silly to tinker with a team that has roared out of the gate at such a breakneck pace, but far too often we’ve seen teams with minor flaws eventually get done in by what was perceived to be merely an inconvenience.
The Warriors front office and new head coach Steve Kerr are too smart to let that happen, and it will be on them to find remedies for the issues that have plagued them to start the season.
Fixing a turnover issue isn’t about adding any one particular player, but rather finding the one player that can change the mindset of the team. A grizzled veteran that has played in numerous playoff wars can do that.
It’s not all about changing the culture, though. Sometimes it’s as simple as merely finding a way to make a good team even better. Adding a reliable post presence is one way of doing it, as would picking up a player that can stretch a defense past their comfort zone.
Fortunately for the Warriors, there are players that will most likely be available at the trade deadline to fill in those needs. Whether they actually go out and get one is a whole other story.
No potential trade target would look better in a Warriors jersey than David West. Whether it be based on production, experience or mindset, his track record speaks for itself.
The gruesome injury to Paul George over the summer all but assured that the Indiana Pacers’ season was over. The way it has played out so far, those assumptions have proved to be correct.
The Pacers’ best strategy would simply be to tank the rest of the way, but no team will ever admit that. A trade for an All-Star in David Lee would generate some buzz and give the Pacers scoring that they desperately need.
For the Warriors, West has been a fantastic player over the course of his career and has proved that, even at 34 years old, the type of game he plays is not one that rapidly diminishes—he averaged 14 points and 6.8 rebounds in 2013-14.
West is battle tested, having been a big part of Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets teams (now Pelicans) in the daunting Western Conference, as well as reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons with the Pacers.
A player with his type of pedigree could absolutely change the laissez-faire attitude of the Warriors, one that has seem them lead the league in turnovers by a disturbingly large margin.
It’s one thing to play a free-flowing brand of basketball that watches the ball move and find its way to open shooters. It’s quite another to simply be prone to sloppiness. Despite the early-season records, this is what ultimately sets the San Antonio Spurs apart from the Warriors, and we saw it in full force Tuesday night.
West would help to change that and bring a much-needed attitude that we’ve seen in flashes from Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut. A frontcourt consisting of those three would be a nightmare for any opposing team.
A swap of Lee for West makes sense for both teams. The offensively challenged Pacers would get one of the premier low-post scorers in the game. In return, the Warriors would receive a player capable of changing the culture of an extremely sloppy team.
Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have to make a move. While the front line of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond looked good on paper, it hasn’t translated into wins.
While the Pistons would obviously prefer to move Smith over Monroe, the market has just about run dry for the trigger-happy Smith. Smith has received criticism throughout his career, and it was never more poignant than when Denver's Kenneth Faried said, via Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk, "Josh Smith, we let him keep shooting. And he ended up with 25, but he still kept shooting. He shot them out of the game."
That’s Smith in a nutshell.
Monroe is the polar opposite, a young player who is still just scratching the surface of his potential. Averaging 17.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season, he’s proved himself to be a dynamic weapon.
David Lee has been unable to consistently stay on the court, and although Marreese Speights has played well in spurts, he was never the answer at power forward. Green has played well as a small-ball power forward this season, but there will be times when a conventional lineup makes sense.
Monroe has the skills to work down low either alongside Bogut or in the center spot himself. Still on a favorable contract of just over $5 million a year, there wouldn’t be much of a cap hit.
In this scenario, Barnes is the perfect trade bait. Smith would be able to move over to his more natural power forward position and they could watch Barnes develop before his contract expires.
For the Warriors, they would get another big body that they desperately need, one that can provide interior scoring and solid defense.
Because Monroe signed his qualifying offer at the beginning of the season, he would not be eligible for a trade until December 14. Furthermore, with his deal expiring at the end of the season, it is all but assured that Monroe would be nothing more than a half-season rental.
On the other hand, with Klay Thompson receiving his max extension and the Warriors carrying multiple other large contracts, resigning Barnes is a long shot. Seeing him walk for nothing would be worse than going all-in this season with Monroe.
Ersan Ilyasova, Milwaukee Bucks
This is solely based on Steve Kerr’s desire to have a stretch 4 in his rotation. Ersan Ilyasova needs a change of scenery, and the uptempo offensive system that the Warriors run would be perfect for him.
Ilyasova would have all the three-point opportunities he could handle playing alongside willing passers like Stephen Curry, Bogut and Andre Iguodala. His ability to make shots from outside would also help open up the paint for Curry and Klay Thompson, who has improved tremendously at getting to the basket.
The price for Ilyasova, however, would most likely be David Lee. Watching Lee go after all he’s done over the years would be tough, but the fact is he’s become injury prone over the years and his defense has not improved.
He too could use a change of scenery and the Milwaukee Bucks can provide that.
A strong post presence is something that the Bucks have lacked for years. Larry Sanders is a tremendous defender and rebounder, but he doesn’t bring much to table offensively. The same goes for John Henson. The scoring and passing that Lee would provide would give that offense a much-needed boost.
While the Bucks would have to offer a bit more to secure a player of the caliber of Lee, perhaps Jerryd Bayless or Brandon Knight to back up Curry and provide some more depth, the key pieces are Lee and Ilyasova.
Ridding themselves of Lee’s enormous contract and adding a stretch 4 is like killing two birds with one stone for the Warriors.
These trades always sound good on paper. For once, it would probably translate to the court as well.
All trades have been reviewed and updated as of November 13.
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