The Warriors have been linked to Wendell Carter Jr. and Naz Reid as they explore trade avenues involving veteran center Kristaps Porzingis and his $20 million salary.
Trade possibilities put other players in the line of fire too, including young forward Gui Santos whose underwhelming start to the season could play himself right into a deal for Reid in the coming weeks or months.
Gui Santos is playing himself right into a Naz Reid trade
The issue with trading for Reid, as opposed to someone like Carter, is that the Charlotte Hornets big man makes slightly more than Porzingis and therefore will require the Warriors to include another player.
Reid makes $3.3 million than Porzingis this season, leaving Santos' $4.6 million salary as the obvious piece to add to a trade package, along with the draft capital necessary to incentivize a Hornets team who only acquired the 27-year-old as part of the blockbuster LaMelo Ball deal during the offseason.
The Warriors may think differently about the equation, and so too the Hornets, if Santos had continued on from his impressive finish to last season where he averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists after the All-Star break.
But Santos' start to the season has shifted what looked like an incredibly team-friendly three-year, $15 million contract, and more importantly his place in the rotation once Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody return from injury. Suddenly Santos looks behind veteran forward Georges Niang in the pecking order, and his minutes could evaporate completely if Golden State can ever get themselves fully health -- which in fairness still won't happen for a while.
Warriors can get significant upgrade with Naz Reid trade
If the Warriors think Santos will be a bit-part rotation place when healthy, and believe their wing/forward depth looks solid with Yaxel Lendeborg, Butler, Moody and Niang, then trading Porzingis and Santos for Reid would offer a significant upgrade.
Reid is averaging career-highs in points and rebounds with the Hornets so far this season, but he's already clashed with head coach Charles Lee and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic has reported that the possibility of him getting traded again is very high.
Reid makes sense as a trade target for the Warriors as they search for another stretch big to replace Porzingis, and even more so if they don't think Santos has to be a long-term part of their franchise moving forward.
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