The Golden State Warriors appear eager to add a shooting big man to the equation prior to the February 6 deadline, particularly if Steve Kerr's comments after Friday's loss to the Indiana Pacers are anything to go by.
Kerr noted how things opened up for the Warriors offensively during Quinten Post's limited second-half minutes, and acknowledged that he and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. have spoken about the idea of acquiring a stretch five to add to the current roster.
While Nikola Vucevic may not be the same calibre player as the multiple stars that have been strongly linked to Golden State over the past 12 months, the Montenegrin would fill the shooting big man void amidst an excellent season with the Chicago Bulls.
Insider downplays potential impact of Nikola Vucevic at the Warriors
Vucevic added another 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, finishing as a +2 in 33 minutes despite his team's five-point defeat. The 2x All-Star is now averaging 20.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists on the season, shooting 55.7% from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range.
Despite those numbers, ESPN insider Tim Bontemps has savagely downplayed the potential impact of Vucevic with the Warriors, suggesting that giving up any assets for the 34-year-old would be "like you're putting lipstick on a pig.”
“Nik Vucevic is an 82-game player, not a 16-game player," Bontemps said during a recent appearance on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami. "Nik Vucevic is not changing the destiny of this Warriors team. He's just not... If he's on the Warriors, it's hard to see them getting out of the first round of the playoffs this year if he's playing a real role because his defensive limitations and the negative parts of his game.”
While it's hard to disagree with Bontemps assessment, Golden State's recent form where they've lost 16 of the past 23 games means that making the playoffs would actually be a good result from their current predicament.
The ESPN insider is right though -- what's the point of a first-round exit if a Vucevic trade harms the front office's ability to make a blockbuster trade for a superstar in the offseason? Vucevic isn't likely to catapult the Warriors into deep playoff contention, even if his sheer threat as a shooting center provides more impact than Bontemps expects.
This is where the value is so important and what the trade may look like. If Golden State could get Vucevic for the expiring contracts of Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, a couple of second-round picks and one of Buddy Hield or Kyle Anderson, then it seems like a no-brainer given it wouldn't hinder their offseason trade flexibility too much.
But if we're talking a first-round pick, then that's where Dunleavy and the Warrior front office will have a big debate. Even someone like Moses Moody may be thrown into a Vucevic trade right now, but doing so would eliminate the possibility of moving him when his impending extension is easier to move later down the track.
The Warriors are bound to do something ahead of the deadline, it just remains to be seen what and how much of an impact it could have on a season that is currently headed for nothing short of mediocrity.