The Golden State Warriors stayed put on NBA Draft night, selecting two promising lottery talents in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. They also made the decision to cling tight to Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman, two of their most widely mentioned trade assets.
Now, however, the Dubs are back in the mix as they are reportedly showing interest in swinging for Pascal Siakam. This report comes from The Sacramento Bee, stating the Dubs are “enamored” with the idea of trading for Siakam.
Just like that, the Golden State Warriors are back in rumors as they show a renewed interest in trading for Pascal Siakam.
This comes at a weird time, as the Warriors’ core seems to be openly embracing the new rookies. For all the catastrophic ways having a title contender full of young prospects could backfire — it would be strange to see the Dubs back peddle now. They’ve already committed to making this work, why not give it an honest chance?
Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman aren’t going to hit the ground running. At least, we shouldn’t expect them to. That means the first few months of the season will be shaky — but the Warriors can’t afford to panic during this stretch.
Growing pains are going to come with the territory of having multiple rookies and a sophomore player (who barely has any experience). But, inconsistency from the front office and constant trade rumors are only going to make things more difficult for this group.
The Warriors have to make a clear, decisive decision. Either we are all-in on Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman — or we are looking to trade for a star. Anything else will surround the team with too much uncertainty and unnecessary pressure. We all saw how Kevin Durant’s looming free agency decision plagued the 2018-19 NBA season – while this is on a different scale, the premise remains the same.
There are obvious paths to long-term success for each member of the Warriors’ young core. The focus should be on maximizing that potential and helping them reach their ceilings. This is a much better decision than trading for a lower-tier star such as Siakam.
Siakam might help the Warriors initially but it is unclear how he benefits them moving forward. He has likely maxed his skillset and has limitations that don’t bode well for the future. His restricted shooting touch and shot creation are not positive attributes for an aging athlete.
Furthermore, they are sacrificing quite a lot of depth to acquire a player who only marginally improves their production on the wing. While I am under the belief that winning even one more championship is worth sacrificing the future — I don’t think Siakam improves their chances of winning enough to warrant trading their collection of assets.
In fact, I’d argue the Warriors have a better shot at winning another title by retaining their core and playing the long game. It will take a massive amount of luck and divine timing for everything to fall into place — but it is the best option they have.