NBA Trade Scenarios: 10 Players Who Will Make Golden State Warriors Contend
NBA trade scenarios are always fun to play with, especially considering the fact that us fans often times have more creative imaginations than most NBA executives.
Today our focus turns to the Golden State Warriors, whose 8-10 record is good for ninth in the Western Conference. In other words, they would just barely miss out if the season ended today.
But the season doesn't end today, and the Warriors have enough talent and youth to stick around all season. But they could also stand to add a player or two.
Here are 10 players that could make the Warriors a serious contender.
10. Hasheem Thabeet
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The Warriors' need for a big guy isn't as pressing as it was last year, when they finished second to last in the NBA with an average of 9.2 offensive rebounds per game.
This year, they're up to 13.3 offensive rebounds per game, which is a reason why they've been able to average 101.4 points per game.
The dreaded 'B' word is already being applied to Hasheem Thabeet, who was selected number two overall in 2009.
And for good reason. The 7'3" center out of UConn gave the Grizzlies just 3.1 points and 3.6 rebounds a game last season, and has seen both his minutes and his numbers decrease in his sophomore campaign.
Maybe what he needs a change of scenery. And there would undoubtedly be more minutes for Thabeet on the Warriors than can be found behind Marc Gasol.
9. James Posey
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(Before you let me know, I'm aware that it's an old photo).
The Warriors have a good thing going with the young guys, but every team needs a wily veteran.
Well, Posey has two NBA Finals wins in his career, and he showed with the Celtics that he has a flair for the dramatic.
So even though he's in his first season with the Pacers, I say that the Warriors should get him if they can. His value is not so much in what he can contribute on the floor as much as his intangibles.
Make it happen.
8. Jason Thompson
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The Kings have a lot of size on their roster with the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, Samuel Dalembert, and Carl Landry all hogging up minutes.
That leaves Jason Thompson, the 6'11" center out of Rider, as the odd man out. He's getting just 16 minutes of action per game this season after averaging around 30 minutes in each of his first two seasons.
The Kings have been rumored to be shopping DeMarcus Cousins and Carl Landry, but nobody has mentioned Thompson yet.
He could easily find minutes with the Warriors as part of a three-man rotation with Andris Biedrins and David Lee.
7. Chris Anderson
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Of all the disgruntled players on the Nuggets, you don't hear much about Chris Anderson that doesn't have something to do with his tats or his hair.
He's also a hell of a rebounder, a truly energetic force coming off the bench. The Warriors could definitely use a guy like that.
Anderson is coming off an injury, and has played just four games for the Nuggets this season. But he's done pretty well so far, as he's giving them 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Not sure what his availability is, but one gets the sense that the Nuggets are a slight breeze away from having a fire sale these days.
6. OJ Mayo
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A report from Yahoo! Sports says that the Grizzlies may have relegated Mayo to bench duty, but they're not looking to trade him.
But nobody ever says that what holds true in December will also hold true in February.
And if Mayo's role in the NBA is to be as a bench player, then the Warriors could definitely use a player like him in this capacity. They have Jeremy Lin, Charlie Bell and Rodney Carney behind the dynamic duo of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, and the three of them are... well, they're just nothing special.
So if the Grizzlies decide that trading Mayo wouldn't be such a bad idea after all, the Warriors should definitely kick the tires.
5. Chris Kaman
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The problem with Andris Biedrins is that he's just never seemed like a true center. He may be a seven footer, but he seems more suited to be a power forward, and maybe even a bench player.
Indeed, the Warriors could use a thick body in the paint, and Chris Kaman is one of several players that would fill that need.
Kaman went down with an ankle injury on November 9th, and is still a couple weeks away from returning. Before that, he was giving the Clippers 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in roughly 30 minutes of action.
Since he's gone down, DeAndre Jordan has stepped in and played pretty well. Because he's younger and cheaper, the Clippers might not be too hesitant to get rid of Kaman's salary.
But that's also what makes the trade hard to figure out.
4. Marcin Gortat
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As you well know by now, there's a huge dropoff when David Lee and/or Andris Biedrins are out of the game, and the Warriors could use somebody to help keep things going when they're out.
One of the guys who might be available is Orlando's Marcin Gortat. The Magic were shopping him in the offseason, and the Orlando Sentinel says that anybody outside of Dwight Howard is available this season.
Gortat is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game in an average of just over 14 minutes of action.
3. Tayshaun Prince
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One of the things keeping the Warriors from being a truly competitive team is that they just really don't have anybody that can give players like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant a hard time.
And that's precisely why they should be interested in Tayshaun Prince. Some have said that he appears to be slipping defensively, but he's still better than anything the Warriors have.
The Warriors as a whole also give up 106.5 points per game, which is the fourth worst total in the NBA. They could use a player like Prince. Oh, and he also plays offense pretty well.
And it just so happens that there's a very good chance Prince gets traded this season.
2. Ekpe Udoh
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True, it's not a trade scenario. But it is something of an anti-trade scenario that could work in the Warriors' favor.
The Warriors have yet to see Udoh, their first round draft pick in uniform, as he has been out with a wrist injury.
But he's been cleared to start participating on on-court activities and he could make his debut in a couple weeks.
If he can be effective in a rotation with Lee and Biedrins, the Warriors may not have to make a trade for a big man after all, which I'm sure they'd prefer.
1. Andre Iguodala
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Iguodala is the one of the bigger tickets that's likely to be traded by the February deadline, and the Warriors should definitely get in on him.
The Warriors hardly have a glaring hole at SF, as Dorell Wright is giving them 15.3 points per game, and is shooting 42.4 percent from beyond the arc.
But... let's just say Iguodala is better. We're talking about a guy who has better than 17 points in each of the last four seasons.
There was talk of a Monta Ellis for Iguodala trade last year. That's not likely to go down this year, but the Warriors could get the 76ers to accept a package of players instead of their primary scorer.
If they get him, the Western Conference should fear the Warriors.
