The Golden State Warriors have already missed out on one of their biggest trade targets ahead of the deadline, with Zach LaVine having been moved to the Sacramento Kings in the 3-team deal that sent De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported shortly after the trade that the Warriors had serious discussions with the Chicago Bulls about bringing both LaVine and Nikola Vucevic to the Bay, but chose to move onto other pursuits rather than complete a deal that would have drastically changed their starting five.
The Luka Doncic trade may have forced the Warriors to move on from pursuing Zach LaVine
Anthony Slater of The Athletic has since detailed why Golden State chose to forego the acquisition of LaVine -- someone who had averaged 24 points on nearly 45% 3-point shooting with the Bulls this season.
"But those that pull the ultimate levers at the top (Mike Dunleavy, Joe Lacob, Kirk Lacob) opted to let the sped-up LaVine option pass in pursuit of loftier ambitions," Slater reported.
That certainly adds some level of intrigue to Golden State's plans over the the next 48 hours, having shown a new-found level of desperation since LaVine was traded. They were linked to superstars Kevin Durant and LeBron James in a blockbuster report from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line on Monday, while ESPN's Shams Charania stated that "the Warriors are legitimately calling about every All-Star player."
Perhaps the stunning trade that saw Luka Doncic move to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday has adjusted thinking across the league, particularly in regard to the Warriors who may have renewed hope of being able to land a legitimate superstar before the deadline.
It's fine for Golden State to pass on LaVine with the hope of acquiring someone better, but there's now even sterner focus on them to actually make that happen. If they can't add a similar-level talent over the next couple of days, then the frustration among fans at not taking LaVine initially will likely be palpable.
As a three-level scorer LaVine would have alleviated many of Golden State's current issues, including lessening the back court burden on Stephen Curry. Not to mention adding Vucevic would have also brought a different dimension to the Warrior offense, having shot 40% from the center position with the Bulls this season.
Moving on from LaVine certainly adds pressure to the Warriors front office prior to the deadline, with the fanbase unlikely to be content on a minor move, while standing pat completely would be a complete shock at this point.