The Golden State Warriors will not be making any blockbuster trade for Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis this season, according to a report by ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel. The Dubs have long coveted Davis as the perfect potential compliment to Draymond Green in the frontcourt. However, as Siegel details, Davis’ max contract, the Warriors payroll commitments, and the current CBA rules make a deal nearly impossible.
“Despite their long-standing interest in him, Davis isn’t an option for the Warriors because of his contract, and all the talk of the Chicago Bulls pursuing him is simply that — talk,” Siegel writes.
Since the Warriors are going to finish the season above the first apron, they are unable to acquire more salary than they send out in a trade. Since Davis is making a $54,126,450 salary this season, the Dubs would have to part with more than $50 million worth of salary to make a deal work. Combining Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Buddy Hield’s contract, the Warriors three most tradeable deals, would still leave them about $10 million short.
The easiest potential deal would be a 1-for-1 swap of Davis for Jimmy Butler, who has an identical salary this season. However, Butler has far outperformed Davis so far this season. Barring an injury to Butler, it’s simply hard to envision any deal coming together that has the Warriors trading the All-Star they acquired at last season’s deadline.
Since the Warriors obviously aren’t trading Steph Curry (and even if they were, wouldn’t be interested in doing so for Davis), the only sizable salary remaining would be Draymond Green. Would a package of Green, Kuminga, and Hield be appealing to either team? Probably not.
Hence why Siegel is so confidently reporting that the Warriors are simply not a potential landing spot for Davis. They want to acquire another star, but general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. will have to look elsewhere.