While the Golden State Warriors have yet to pull off a mid-season trade, their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz did make an underrated move for five-year NBA veteran Charles Bassey last week.
The Bassey trade has already paid dividends for the Warriors, including on Friday as the 6'10" big man dropped a huge stat line to help deliver Santa Cruz a 112-105 victory over the Austin Spurs.
Charles Bassey could have more impact than first thought
Bassey had a mammoth 34 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks against the Spurs, shooting an incredibly efficient 13-of-21 from the floor and 3-of-6 from 3-point range as the team's starting power forward.
It was much more positive than what the main squad was able to provide at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, having been routed --- without veteran stars Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
It's also the second-straight win for Santa Cruz which has been rare this season, having beaten the Spurs earlier in the week where Bassey had 17 points, 17 rebounds and an extraordinary six blocks in a 111-102 victory.
Q1: #SeaDubs 34 || Spurs 32
A big splash ☔️ pic.twitter.com/rnkbmkFNXB
— Santa Cruz Warriors (@GLeagueWarriors) January 3, 2026
While the current Golden State roster has an allotted 15 players and therefore no room for a potential G League call up, that could quickly change which makes the next month at Santa Cruz an important one for players like Bassey.
The Warriors could be in line for another consolidation trade as we saw before last year's deadline with Jimmy Butler. A 3-for-1 trade involving Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield and someone like Moses Moody could be on the table, leaving Golden State with two open roster spots afterwards.
Bassey need only look at Kevin Knox II as a player who was rewarded for his strong G League form in Santa Cruz, with the former ninth overall pick signing a pair of 10-day contracts before finishing on an end of season deal and even making five appearances in last year's playoffs.
Braxton Key was also acquired on a two-way contract late in the season, then converted to a standard deal in time for the playoffs. While Bassey is no longer eligible for a two-way deal after four years in the league, Key is even more evidence of why Bassey could make more impact than first though by actually being on the main roster by season's end.
Bassey has already played two NBA games this season, playing just over 30 minutes for the Memphis Grizzlies in early November after signing a 10-day hardship contract.