Kelly Oubre Jr. has played so awful some games that fans have wanted him traded, but the Golden State Warriors could be unstoppable if he hits his ceiling.
The Golden State Warriors may end up having an active trade deadline, but it’d be a mistake to trade Kelly Oubre Jr. The team was recently reportedly interesting in flipping Oubre Jr. for either Lonzo Ball or a combination of Ball and JJ Redick.
While it’s unclear how advanced those talks were, the Warriors will have their options for Oubre Jr. He has shown flashes that he can be that good this season, but he hasn’t shown them on a consistent basis which has crushed Oubre’s stock.
Last season, with the Phoenix Suns, Oubre Jr. averaged 18.7 points per game. He’s under two-thirds of that amount with the Warriors, and it’s tough to say that the opportunity hasn’t been there for the left-handed 25-year-old.
Oubre Jr. isn’t quite shooting as much as he was while on the playoff-missing Suns, but that likely has at least partially been impacted by the difficulty the young guard has had as a spot-up shooter in Golden State.
A former top-15 pick as he showcased all the intangibles to be a great professional, Oubre Jr. has taken a drastic step back in Golden State. He’s averaging 11.7 points per game and shooting just 36 percent from the field. He’s shooting 22 percent from deep as well.
What’s even worse is the streakiness that his play has come with.
Oubre has had five games of 19 played in which he’s shot under 25 percent from the field and taken ten or more attempts. He just has to be better, but if his career has shown us anything, it’s that he can be.
If you take out Oubre Jr., you leave a vacancy at shooting guard. Bringing in Ball or anyone else, it’s likely that the Warriors may take a hit from an athleticism and potential aspect.
However, getting a proven scorer like Bradley Beal would easily be worthwhile, but that would take too many future picks from Golden State. For what his market value is right now, the Warriors are not getting a player of Oubre Jr.’s caliber.
That said, the Warriors are 8-1 when Oubre Jr. hits at least 35 percent of his shots. He doesn’t need to be a playmaking, elite-shooting guard, but he needs to at least be competent for Golden State to have a chance in the majority of games.