Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
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Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are expected to be active before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. Steve Kerr’s team is one win above a .500 record and has struggled for consistency all season.
There’s a glaring need for an additional big man in the front court. Ideally, the Warriors will add someone who can provide rim-protection and a lob-threat on the offensive end. Of course, the front office has Jonathan Kuminga, among other young talents, to dangle in trade negotiations.
With that in mind, Tyler Watts of Fansided has proposed a three-team trade that would send Max Christie and Daniel Gafford to the Warriors. The full trade would look like this:
Warriors Get:Max Christie and Daniel Gafford
Sacramento Kings Get:Jonathan Kuminga
Dallas Mavericks Get:Malik Monk, two first-round draft picks and a 2028 first-round pick swap.
“Golden State fans may not love this move now,” Watts wrote. “There is no flashy name like Butler or Anthony Davis, but the Warriors have the top-end talent. They need the right role players to push them over the top. Replacing the Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton minutes with a legit 3-and-D wing, while adding a starting center, would be game-changing.”
Adding Gafford to the Warriors’ rotation would undoubtedly elevate the team on both sides of the floor. Between Jimmy Butler‘s rim pressure and Stephen Curry‘s shooting gravity, Gafford would cause havoc when rolling towards the rim.
Warriors Have Discussed An Anthony Davis Trade
According to The Athletic’s Christian Clark and Sam Amick, the Warriors have maintained a dialogue with the Dallas Mavericks over a potential trade for Anthony 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,” Clark and Amick reported.
However, it would appear that Golden State is unwilling to part with Draymond Green or Butler in a deal, thus making salary-matching incredibly difficult.
“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,” Clark and Amick continued.
Perhaps Watts’ trade idea would make more sense. Gafford is younger, would fit with Golden State’s developmental core, and would provide a fresh dimension on both sides of the court.
Warriors Know What They Want In a Kuminga Trade
Golden State’s front office has been locked in trade talks regarding Kuminga for months. First, it was during the summer when the two sides were at a deadlock in contract negotiations. And now, those discussions have begun to heat up again, with the trade deadline less than a month away.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors have set their boundaries regarding a Kuminga deal. Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy know what they want, and don’t want, as a potential return.
“As expected, they’ve had exploratory conversations with several teams about Jonathan Kuminga, but they’ve expressed an unwillingness to take on contracts that extend beyond this season if they view them as negative-value deals,” Slater reported. “That’s been an impediment dating back to the summer, when they declined interest in Malik Monk from Sacramento in sign-and-trade talks for Kuminga.”
It’s clear the Warriors need to make a move. And, while Watts’ proposed deal makes sense, it’s unlikely we see it come to fruition. Nevertheless, Golden State needs a big man, and ideally one who is available this season.
Whether the front office can find a suitable target remains to be seen, but with Kuminga seemingly on his way out, anything is possible.