Former Warriors wing finds himself in trouble if latest trade reports are true

This could be problematic...
Golden State Warriors v Philadelphia 76ers
Golden State Warriors v Philadelphia 76ers | Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

After two years as a primary rotation piece for the Philadelphia 76ers, former Golden State Warriors wing Kelly Oubre Jr. faces a potentially important point of his career as trade speculation continues to grow.

According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer late last week, the 76ers could be looking to move Oubre or Andre Drummond in order to create some financial flexibility. Trading either of the veteran duo could allow the 76ers to re-sign Quentin Grimes who now sits alongside Warrior forward Jonathan Kuminga as the two restricted free agents left on the market.

Getting traded by the 76ers could be a disaster for Kelly Oubre Jr.

Oubre is set to make $8.4 million on the final year of his deal, having signed a two-year, $16.3 million contract with the 76ers last offseason after previously waiting until the end of September the previous year to join the franchise on a veteran minimum.

Oubre himself is certainly taking notice of the trade rumors, taking to social media on Tuesday with some rather direct words for Philly fans who may want to see the back of the 6'8" forward.

Getting traded by the 76ers could prove a really damaging moment for the 29-year-old's career, such is the role and opportunity he's carved out for himself over the past two years. Sure much of that has to do with the injuries that have devastated the franchise particularly last season, but Oubre has nonetheless averaged over 32 minutes per game in his time with Philadelphia.

During that span he's averaged a productive 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. The streaky 3-point shooting has always been a question mark throughout Oubre's career decade-long career, and that proved the case against last season as he dropped to 29.3% from beyond the arc.

Who knows if Oubre can himself in a similar role again if he's moved to another team, particularly if that's a young and rebuilding one who have the room to absorb his contract and offer the 76ers the cap relief they desire.

Oubre had his moments during his one-year stint with Golden State in 2020-21, but his fit within Steve Kerr's read-and-react offensive system was always a concern. The former 15th overall pick did average 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and a steal per game, yet he also finished with the worst total plus-minus (-190) of any Warrior player that season.

The Warriors now face a similar fit concern with Kuminga, though the youth and upside of the former seventh overall pick could be enough for the franchise to continue persisting in his talent.