The Golden State Warriors are struggling badly right now and they need to make a move soon to try and right the ship. With Al Horford still out with an injury, the team could make an extremely obvious trade to upgrade at center.
Horford said he is likely to be out for another week as he deals with sciatica. The 39-year-old veteran last played in early December and has been dealing with this issue as he tries tries to get back on the court.
Even when Horford was playing prior to the injury, he was not exactly all that productive. In 13 games with Golden State so far, the 39-year-old has averaged under six points per game and his rebound numbers are also well down from past seasons.
Warriors need an upgrade at center over Al Horford
Perhaps that is to be expected from an aging player at the end of his career, but the Warriors cannot just wait around and see if the Al Horford they currently have is anywhere close to the version who played well for the Boston Celtics.
That is why Golden State should go out and make a trade. When they are able to move Jonathan Kuminga on January 15th, they need to shop him around in exchange for a proven big man.
One obvious swap could be with the Chicago Bulls who currently have Nikola Vucevic on the roster. Vucevic would represent a big upgrade over Horford, with the 2x All-Star averaging over 15 points per game this season.
Not only that, but Vucevic would take a lot of pressure off Draymond Green playing as a small ball five. Usually the Warriors have to turn to Green to play as their center, something that is a lot to ask for even though the veteran is a great defender and can defend opponents much bigger than him.
The Warriors are one of the smaller teams in the NBA so adding Vucecvic, who stands at 6-foot-9, would give them some much-needed size which could help them compete with bigger teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
The Bulls could use a young player like Kuminga who would benefit from consistent playing time, something he could find in Chicago on a struggling team that is looking to assemble a young roster that can be successful.
The Kuminga saga seems to be trending towards and the Warriors have to take advantage of that. Landing a player who will help them out going forward is vital, which is why they should be looking at a solid center like Vucevic.