The Golden State Warriors are still active in trying to pursue a star ahead of the February 6 deadline, but whether said 'star' actually becomes available is another story altogether.
The Warriors spent much of 2024 trying to acquire a co-star for Stephen Curry, having missed out on the likes of LeBron James, Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. Jimmy Butler has been linked to Golden State over recent weeks, but a new name in Zion Williamson emerged thanks to a report from ESPN on Tuesday.
Six-player trade proposal sees Zion Williamson land with the Warriors
According to Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks, multiple rival executives see the Warriors as a "logical fit" for Williamson if the New Orleans Pelicans explore trading their young forward either ahead of the deadline or during the offseason.
The "logical fit" component is an interesting one given Williamson, as talented as he is, would still leave spacing concerns that already exist in the front court. Jonathan Kuminga or Draymond Green would have to be moved to accomodate the former first overall pick into the front court, and as controversial as it may be, trading the veteran forward may be the better solution as outlined here.
What would a Green-for-Williamson swap look like? Here's a six-player trade that could work for both sides ahead of the deadline:
*Trade couldn't be completed till February 5
Would the Pelicans agree?
On the surface this looks questionable value for someone who is 24-years-old and already averages nearly 25 points per game for their career. In saying that, Williamson's injury history has tanked his value to the point that, according to a rival executive, he may only be worth matching salary and a late first-round pick.
This deal would easily surpass that summation, with Brandin Podziemski still worth more than a late first-round pick despite struggles so far in his second-year. Green is also more than just matching salary, having maintained as one of the best defenders in the league and someone who the Pelicans could flip elsewhere or utilize themselves moving forward.
As much as New Orleans could talk themselves into Green, Podziemski and Schroder's expiring salary, this trade would still be mostly about them being motivated to move on from Williamson and the remaining three years of his five-year, $197 million contract. If they aren't ready for that, then there's little chance a rival teams come calling with an offer that's too good to refuse.
Would the Warriors agree?
Golden State would have to convince themselves of two very important questions before even considering this trade. Firstly, are they ready to move on from Green and breaking up the pairing of he and Stephen Curry? What would Curry even say about such a proposal?
Secondly, if they are willing to move on from their 4x NBA champion, then is Williamson the player to do it for? He is the All-Star level scorer they crave, but he comes with huge injury risks that may be too hard to wrestle with.
Giving up Podziemski in addition is also something to grapple with, having been so adamant in not including him in trade talks during the offseason. Offloading him and Schroder would leave the Warriors without a backup point guard, but they could look to make another deal and re-evaluate in free agency or via trade during the offseason.
Summary:
This may ultimately be a deal where both teams say no, yet perhaps that indicates that the value is somewhat fair on each side. The Warriors have been fairly conservative as a front office over recent years, so it's unlikely they'd pull off such a controversial move like this one.