If the Golden State Warriors decide to make a major trade, it will certainly be a combo deal.
Speculation is building around the Golden State Warriors potentially making league altering changes within the next few months.
There is no telling if the Warriors will play it safe or swing for the fences when it comes to building for their future. The franchise is in a unique position with multiple All-Stars on the roster and a chance at the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
With this luxury comes a plethora of options. The Dubs can sit still and run the gauntlet next season with a healthy core of D’Angelo Russell, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and whoever they draft with their pick.
The Dubs will obviously look to retool through free agency, snatching up any quality veteran players they can reel in. We have gone in-depth on different free agents the Warriors could target in this article: 10 Free agents the Warriors should pursue.
However, the Warriors could also go in a drastically different route. The value behind a trade involving Russell or their 2020 NBA Draft pick is enough to bring in offers from most teams.
We have already heard multiple rumors of Karl-Anthony Towns wanting out of a blundering rebuild in Minnesota. Could the Dubs make a deal to steal the elite big man?
The only issue here is that it is unlikely the Warriors decide to trade Russell or the pick separately. If one is traded, the other will likely be included in order to make the deal work.
The most notable reason for this is the salary cap. Any worthwhile player the Warriors can receive in trading their pick would push the team over the cap. Consequently, D-Lo would have to be in the deal to make things work financially.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The pick on its own is valuable but adding a young All-Star into any potential deal will exponentially raise the Warriors chance of landing another star.
Warriors insider, Tom Haberstroh, believes the Dubs will begin working on potential deals the moment they discover what the official draft order will be. In his opinion, Russell and the pick go hand-in-hand.
If the Dubs elect to shake this roster up, it’s safe to bet that Russell and the pick will be sent together.