Trade rumors kick into gear as Warriors eye luxury tax
Get ready for the NBA rumor mill to start churning.
In a deadlinedriven league, the Warriors reached somewhat of a lifeline Sunday, the date on which they could start entertaining offers to offload players they acquired this summer.
The Warriors sport an NBA-worst 523 record, 1½ games behind Atlanta, New Orleans, Cleveland and New York. They lost to both Atlanta and New York during this recent stretch, which has included dropping eight of nine games.
At 112.8, the Warriors had the 26th defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) through Sunday in the 30team league. Their 103.1 offensive efficiency ranked ahead of only New York (102.6) and hasn’t shown sustained signs of improving.
“We sucked, in every shape and form,” power forward Draymond Green told reporters after the Warriors scored a seasonlow 79 points in a 21
point loss to Sacramento on Sunday night. “It’s frustrating. There’s really not any other way to put it.”
In a season long lost to Klay Thompson’s ACL recovery and Stephen Curry’s broken hand, the Warriors are sure to be mentioned in much of the buzziest scuttlebutt leading to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
If the Warriors finish the season with the league’s worst record, they would have a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and be guaranteed a topfive selection.
Having paid the luxury tax (a tax for every payroll dollar spent over a leaguespecified amount) three of the past four seasons, it would make sense for the Warriors to get under the apron this season. The Warriors’ payroll is about $132.6 million, nearly $6 million over the luxury threshold.
They’ll almost certainly pay the luxury tax again after using a portion of the $17 million trade exception (an exception that allows the Warriors to take on more salary than they give back in a deal) acquired in the Andre Iguodala deal, signing a midlevelexception player (a price determined by the average salary of players on teams over the cap) and paying a top draft pick or the asset returned in dealing the selection.
Being a team that repeats paying luxury taxes comes with stiff monetary penalties and can affect some of the collectively bargained exceptions to acquire players, but deleting about $6 million from this season’s payroll to get under the apron might not be so easy.
The Warriors say they want to see D’Angelo Russell, who is making about $27.3 million, play with Curry in March or April to assess their fit in the backcourt. Russell is averaging a careerbest 21.5 points per game, so his trade value shouldn’t plummet if the Warriors wait until the summer to explore deals.
Kevon Looney is making about $4.5 million, but the Warriors value him more than any other team in the league. They view him as a foundational player because of his defensive versatility, but two hip surgeries and a neuropathic condition could scare off most suitors.
The more realistic trade options are Alec Burks, Willie CauleyStein, Jacob Evans, Glenn Robinson III and Omari Spellman. And maybe just the first two.
The Warriors still have hope that Evans ($1.9 million) can develop into an Iguodala or Shaun Livingstontype player. Robinson ($1.9 million) has been the team’s most consistent defensive player, and Spellman ($1.9 million) has been the team’s most consistent source of energy.
At $2.3 million, Burks could be a perfect fit for a playoff team looking for scoring off the bench. He’s averaging a careerhigh 15.4 points per game and is shooting 43% from the floor — something he hasn’t accomplished since his second year in the league (201213).
Not previously regarded as a sterling defensive player, CauleyStein is averaging career bests in blocked shots (1.3) and steals (1.2). After a slow start because of an offseason midfoot strain, the 7footer is averaging 9.6 points, six rebounds, 1.8 blocked shots and 1.8 steals in his past five games.
Head coach Steve Kerr likes to start a prototype center, but moving CauleyStein and his $2.2 million contract would free up frontcourt minutes to take longer looks at Marquese Chriss, Spellman and Alen Smailagic, all of them younger.
“I moved on when I signed here,” CauleyStein said Sunday after playing for the initial time against Sacramento, the team that drafted him No. 6 overall in 2015 and for which he played his first four seasons. “I don’t put too much stock into what’s going on in Sacramento, besides checking in with my guys. Other than that, hoops is here. I’m here. I’m trying to hoop here.
“I’m trying to stick somewhere, and this seems like a really good spot for me.” Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron