Ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors looked like a potential NBA Finals contender.
While there were still some question marks surrounding the team, the Warriors were loaded with talent. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler lead the way, but a supporting cast of Draymond Green, Al Horford, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and more appeared to be enough to make them difficult to beat.
So far this season, the expectations have not quite become a reality for Golden State.
At the time of this writing, the Warriors hold a 19-18 record. That isn’t close to where they were hoping to be at this point in the year.
Keeping that in mind, a lot of trade rumors have been swirling around in Golden State. One of the biggest rumors has had to do with a potential pursuit of Dallas Mavericks superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Davis would make a lot of sense for the Warriors. However, a new update from The Athletic has shed more light on Golden State’s chances of making a move for Davis.
"The Golden State Warriors (19-18; eighth in the West) have also discussed a Davis deal with the Mavericks, with team sources indicating that the door was not completely closed,” they wrote. “Yet with the Warriors known to be staunchly against the notion of trading either Draymond Green ($25.8 million this season) or Jimmy Butler ($54.1 million), there is no realistic pathway to finding a deal that works financially."
Unless the Warriors change their stance on trading a player like Green, there likely isn’t much that they can do.
Bringing in Davis would fix a lot of the issues that Golden State has had this season. He has played in 18 games this season, averaging 20.4 points per game to go along with 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals, while also shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from three-point range.
Injuries are always a concern with Davis. Despite that fact, the Warriors should strongly consider making an aggressive move if they want to contend for another championship with Curry leading the way.
Expect to continue hearing rumors surrounding Golden State as the trade deadline draws closer. This won’t be the last time Davis is talked about as a target for the Warriors.
For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Newsweek