This offseason, the Golden State Warriors traded for Kelly Oubre Jr. Having played last season with the Suns, Oubre Jr. took his game to the next level after the Washington Wizards theoretically gave up on him.
With the Warriors, Oubre Jr.’s play has taken a hit. While he’s shown that he can play at a high level and even single-handedly win the team games, it’s been so inconsistent that fans have grown frustrated.
Now, with the trade deadline approaching, the Warriors have decisions to make regarding whether they want to keep or trade the young star.
While the Golden State Warriors have yet to put anything out there, ESPN analyst Ramona Shelburne believes the team should trade Kelly Oubre Jr.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on KNBR’s “Papa & Lund” show that the Warriors should trade Kelly Oubre Jr.
"“If you feel good about Klay Thompson coming back — and you feel good about Andrew Wiggins as a piece of your team going forward — then I don’t think there’s as much of a role for Oubre, especially at the price point that he should command,” she noted according to NBC Sports’ Drew Shiller."
Oubre Jr. is on the last year of his contract, and he’s set to make $14.4 million. The Warriors, in all likelihood, won’t be able to re-sign him. That’s where a trade does become appealing for Golden State.
The other side of the page is that the Warriors will want to keep a competitive team on the court. Whether you like it or not, it’s clear that just with his energy and defense, Oubre Jr. makes this team better.
An ideal trade may be for Victor Oladipo, who is also on a one-year contract. However, a trade like that may require the Warriors to add Andrew Wiggins to the deal to supplement the contracts. At that point the Warriors are again not a more competitive team.
Stephen Curry, 32, is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Averaging 29.7 points per game, he should be able to will this team to the postseason. With flashes of brilliance from Oubre Jr., they can make noise.
Assuming the Warriors won’t re-sign Oubre Jr., I think it’d be idiotic not to look into what his worth to other teams could be. But, they need to not take a trade that puts them even further behind elite Western Conference teams.
With Klay Thompson returning next season, as Shelburne noted, that two-guard spot will be his, putting the marriage between the Warriors and Oubre Jr. in jeopardy.
It’ll be a tough spot for Bob Myers and his group, but they need to find a trade that brings in a player that can help Golden State continue to compete while also not giving up that coveted Minnesota 2021 pick and staying within Oubre Jr.’s salary range.
For now, it’s assumed he won’t be traded. No rumors have surfaced with the March 25 trade deadline inching closer.