Heading into the season, the Golden State Warriors were only a few rough patches away from shaking up the roster and retooling some of their expendable assets. Due to quality play from just about everyone, it’s unlikely the front office decides to pull the trigger on a deal… yet.
Before we start, let’s highlight the names most likely to be included in a trade, before the season began. Though his contract would be tough to move, Andrew Wiggins stood above the rest as their most valuable trade asset, with Kelly Oubre following up in second place. From there, names such as Eric Paschall, Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker and Kevon Looney were all potentially on the trading block – with only Stephen Curry, James Wiseman, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green safe from the discussion.
However, the Warriors supporting cast has done enough to prove they are worthy of remaining on the roster. For this reason, I don’t think the front office will make any deals before the deadline this year.
The Golden State Warriors supporting cast is doing just enough to remain safe from trades before the deadline this season.
First, we’ll look at Wiggins. His shooting has regressed a bit in recent games, connecting on fewer than 30 percent of his 3-point attempts, but he’s still bordering career-high splits across the board and despite his reduced scoring average, he’s never played better basketball than he is right now. Wiggins is attacking efficiently and exerting more energy on defense than ever before.
The same goes for Oubre, who began the season slowly but has caught fire in recent weeks. Oubre is averaging 20.7 points and 7.0 rebounds on 44.0 percent shooting from the 3-point line. He’s provided sound defense and energy every night.
The rest of the supporting cast has shined as well, Bazemore had a 26 point night against Miami while Looney helped immensely in his return against New York. The only player who has consistently struggled is Brad Wanamaker, shooting only 35.7 percent from the floor, but it’s doubtful he has enough value to be traded.
It seems the Warriors will finish the season with their current roster. The remainder of the year, plus the playoffs, will prove to be pivotal in how the front office decides to move forward in the offseason.