SUMMER PLANS
Warriors are interested in something bigger than a trade-deadline deal
All’s quiet on the Western front.
The Eastern front, too.
No one calls me “Scoops”, but I know enough people to know that this NBA trade deadline is gearing up to be a dud.
And that goes double for the Dubs.
Maybe Golden State moves off pending free agent Kelly Oubre by Thursday at noon, but all signs point to him sticking around for the home stretch and perhaps longer.
And yes, the Warriors will look into the big (ish) names that have hit your timeline this week, but again, don’t expect some sort of a big, league-changing blockbuster in San Francisco before
Now, it’s fair to wonder what the bigger thing is. And that’s anyone’s guess right now. Let your imagination run wild — the NBA will find a way to exceed it.
the deadline.
No, it seems as if the Dubs are, like most teams, merely gauging the market, seeing if something bigger and more grand is available to them this summer, waiting to be blown away by a “godfather” offer that will never come amid all this timidness around the league.
So, like so many other things these days, just wait until the summer.
Now, it’s fair to wonder what the bigger thing is. And that’s anyone’s guess right now. Let your imagination run wild — the NBA will find a way to exceed it. The league always provides drama and intrigue as the season winds down. This isn’t the best reality TV show on the planet because it’s predictable and dramafree. And without a bigtime free agent on the market come July (Kawhi Leonard is expected to re-sign with the Clippers and Chris Paul is expected to pick up his $44 million player option), all that drama and intrigue will be supplied by players flexing their full empowerment and demanding a trade.
Golden State, with James Wiseman and Minnesota’s 2021 or 2022 draft pick (we’ll know what it is come June), will be as well-positioned as any team in the league to make a move for such a player.
Of course, the Warriors are well-positioned now, and with Oubre in the fold, I’d argue they hold a stronger hand for a trade as he’s their most tradeable asset, but Golden State is being smart — they’re not interested in making any deals that leave them with cents on the dollar.
So forget Aaron Gordon and Victor Oladipo — they’re certainly not worth that Minnesota pick. You can forget Bradley Beal — the only player worth that Minnesota pick or Wiseman — because he’s not on the market, despite plenty of asks.
The only deal that makes any sort of sense for the Warriors on a value-level would be trading Oubre to Atlanta for Bogdan Bogdanovic, whom the Hawks reportedly want to offload after signing him to a fouryear, $72 million deal.
But Oubre is arguably a better player than Bogdanovic and will certainly provide more on the defensive side than the former Sacramento King. Oubre might command upwards of $20 million a season on the open market (these bad teams have to spend on someone) but you can make the argument that he’s worth the premium compared to Bogey.
The Warriors have been given no indication that Oubre won’t re-sign with them this offseason, even with him likely to be moved to the bench with the return of Klay Thompson next season, and the team’s only limitation is luxury tax concerns — so why lock in a lesser player at what will only be a slightly lower rate?
They shouldn’t, and I expect that barring a lastminute Oubre curveball, they will not.
Coming back from the pandemic, with revenue down across the board, two new “playoff” teams, and a title race that’s more open than it has been in a long time, there’s no reason for anyone to go crazy.
The Warriors don’t need to set a market. They need to take advantage of one.
So right now, they should stand pat, wait to see if that Minnesota pick confers, and start forming some plans for the summer.