NBA Free Agents 2011: Warriors Have Extra Incentive To Sign Tyson Chandler

The Golden State Warriors seem to be dead serious about building a championship-caliber team.

The Warriors have been rumored to be interested in all sorts of high-profile stars in recent months, and word came out from Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday that the Warriors are even getting involved in trade talks for New Orleans Hornets star point guard Chris Paul.

According to Wojnarowski, the Warriors' proposed package for Paul is centered around Stephen Curry and rookie Klay Thompson. So far, the Hornets like this package enough to keep talking.

However, the question is whether or not Paul would sign an extension with the Warriors. If the Warriors want Paul that badly, Wojnarowski says they're going to have to sweeten the deal:

This is convenient, of course, as the Warriors were already showing an interest in Chandler, who is fresh off a championship year with the Dallas Mavericks. Just a couple of days ago, ESPN.com's Marc Stein wrote that the Warriors are among the "most serious suitors" for Chandler's services.

Now, it seems acquiring Chandler could be the key to acquiring Paul. In the event that the Warriors do end up with both of them, they'll have a pretty impressive trio in Paul, Chandler and Monta Ellis. To boot, David Lee and Dorell Wright aren't bad as far as role players go.

If only it were this simple. The Los Angeles Clippers are also in the hunt to acquire CP3, and Wojnarowski says they are "more attractive" to him because he would get to play alongside Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.

If they find a way to add Chandler, a former teammate of Paul's, the Clippers will have everything they need to lure Paul. And make no mistake, they would have the chips to trade for him too.

As I see it, the only thing the Warriors can do is stay the course with their pursuit of Chandler. Regardless of whether or not signing him will lead them to Paul, the Warriors need a big man with Chandler's skills, and adding him would make them a legit player in the Western Conference.

If the Warriors end up with both Chandler and Paul, great. That would be mission accomplished. If they end up with just Chandler, they'll still be good. Stephen Curry will be around to play the point, and if nothing else they will have kept Chandler out of LA. That would presumably mean Paul won't be there either.

In so many words, signing Chandler is a win-win for the Warriors. If not a huge victory, signing him would at least be a victory.

Your move, Warriors.