The Golden State Warriors may be done. After trading Jordan Poole for Chris Paul, and completely overhauling their backcourt in the process, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office might be done with big swings.
They have four open roster spots to fill in free agency, signing the best veterans they can to minimum contracts. They could simply find those players and call it a summer. Yet how often have the Warriors simply stayed quiet when there was the possibility for more? There is a very strong chance more fireworks remain on the horizon.
The Warriors can trade Chris Paul for a star
The biggest bullet still in the chamber, assuming there is no chance that the Warriors are trading one of their core three players or Andrew Wiggins, is to flip Chris Paul (and his expiring contract) to another team, using him as matching salary to bring back an established star.
What could such a deal look like? Let’s build four lucrative trade packages for Golden State to offer, ranking them from worst-for-the-Warriors to best. Note that all of these deals will need to either be linked to the Wizards’ initial Chris Paul trade or will need to wait until later in the offseason, but all of them can fit either way. To be simple we’ll just evaluate the deals in a vacuum.
Could the Warriors trade Chris Paul for Karl-Anthony Towns?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are barreling toward a financially untenable position, with three centers all making $90 million next season. The year after that, those three centers will make $110 million, while Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels come due for new contracts.
Therefore, trading Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be something of an imperative for the Minnesota front office. The problem is that he is going to be spectacularly expensive a year from now, which will depress his trade market. Here is an offer the Warriors could make:
The Timberwolves could use the backcourt help, and this trade helps to balance out their roster. Mike Conley and Chris Paul can fill the minutes at point-guard, Gary Payton II can join Edwards and McDaniels on the wing, and Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid will make up the frontcourt. That’s not a bad lineup, and with Paul’s deal expiring it will become financially viable the following summer.
Timberwolves fans may balk at what seems to be such a low offer for Towns, and Warriors fans may balk at paying such a steep price. Payton plays a vital role for Golden State, so moving him and Paul for a center who doesn’t protect the rim may fracture their defense.
On the other hand, Towns’ shooting ability would make him a deadly combination with Stephen Curry, and if any team has a power-forward who can insulate Towns’ defensive issue it’s Draymond Green. The Warriors aren’t going to make this deal, not when Towns has absolutely zero track record as a “16-game” player, but the offensive potential is intriguing.
Could the Warriors trade Chris Paul for Zach LaVine?
With Klay Thompson sliding into more of a small-forward role on the Warriors, the possibility opens up that Golden State could look to add a shooting guard on the trade market. That’s why they were at least discussed in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes, and why they are an option for Zach LaVine were he to come available.
The Chicago Bulls are stubbornly clinging to their hopes of contending with their current roster, a decision that has resulted in a total of six playoff games over the past three seasons, and at the same time has sent two lottery picks to the Orlando Magic. Were they to finally face the music and break up their core, LaVine would be a potential target for the Warriors:
The Bulls would be making a move similar to the Bradley Beal trade, getting back Chris Paul’s expiring contract to reset their salary cap a year from now. Instead of 10,000 second-round picks they’ll get back two firsts and Gary Payton II from the Warriors, and can likely move Payton on to another contender. Depending on the offers coming back, the possibility of cap space next summer might be alluring enough to push this over the finish line.
For the Warriors, they would be getting a very talented offensive player who could slot between Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the perimeter. LaVine is just 28 years old, has a connection to both Steve Kerr and Draymond Green from the Tokyo Olympics, and is a career 38.4 percent 3-point shooter on a difficult diet. He looks like a player who would be an excellent offensive fit.
LaVine also has had chronic knee issues, and his contract therefore brings some risks with it. Add in that LaVIne has just four playoff games to his name, and pushing the chips in for him becomes a risky proposition. Such a move could absolutely work; it may also fail spectacularly.
Could the Warriors trade Chris Paul for Paul George?
The LA Clippers could face a difficult situation this summer. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are eligible for contract extensions this offseason. On the surface, the idea of the team handing four-year maximum contracts to either player given their history of injuries seems ludicrous, but as NBA analysts like Zach Lowe have discussed, if the Clippers are going to say no, they have to be prepared for the end result if that doesn’t go over well.
If the Clippers do end up listening to offers on Paul George, the Warriors can provide a trade package that offers enough win-now ammunition to make a deal possible. We first pitched this deal earlier this week, and we’ve separated out the players and picks moving between the two teams:
The Clippers here get a starting point guard, a better version of Terance Mann and a player in Jonathan Kuminga with a lot of upside. The Clippers can either use that injection of athleticism in their frontcourt or use him to add another win-now talent, with those two first-round picks as added ammunition.
For the Warriors, this is a gamble that (1) Kuminga doesn’t become an All-Star in the next couple of years, and (2) that Paul George stays healthy. Those are big ifs, but George’s injuries have seemed to be generally unconnected, and the Warriors have a lot of confidence in their medical staff.
If George stayed healthy, the Warriors would likely be co-favorites right up there with the Denver Nuggets. That’s the upside of a two-way player like Paul George joining the Warriors, fitting seamlessly in on offense and defense. This is a deal worth making, but the cost is certainly steep.
Could the Warriors trade Chris Paul for Pascal Siakam?
The final trade to consider is between the Warriors and their opponents in the 2019 NBA Finals. During that run to a championship, Pascal Siakam was the second-best player on the Toronto Raptors, and in the process proved his mettle as a playoff performer. Of the stars being considered, he’s the only one to have played in the NBA Finals, let alone won a title.
The Raptors have some difficult decisions to make this offseason, however. Fred VanVleet looks like a very real flight risk, and without him the Raptors don’t have a clear pathway to a functioning NBA offense. What they do have is a logjam at power-forward. Whether they want to fully enter a youth movement or simply relieve the crowded frontcourt, they could be open to moving Siakam.
Here’s one possible iteration for a deal:
The Toronto Raptors would have a true professional at point-guard in Paul, which is not a bad thing if they’re trying to win games this season. Moses Moody is a two-way wing who can fit on any team, and at 21-years-old can be a part of either plan.
For the Warriors, they would be adding a two-time All-NBA forward into the mix who has already proven himself on the biggest stage. That matters to the Warriors’ stars. His fit isn’t the best as a shaky three-point shooter, but defensively the Warriors would be formidable and have an exceptional level of passing between Siakam and Draymond Green.
None of these deals are perfect, but all of them are interesting. The Warriors are communicating that they are “all-in” on competing over the next couple of seasons. If so, these are the kinds of big swings they will be considering. Could one of these stars be on the Warriors next season?