3 proposed trades to land Warriors a stretch big after missing on Lauri Markkanen

The Golden State Warriors recent interest in Lauri Markkanen was far from just about getting a secondary offensive star to pair with Stephen Curry.

The 2023 All-Star would have provide a balance to a number of Warrior problems, eliminating issues that now still remain after Markkanen officially renegotiated and extended his contract with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors should still be looking to target more front court shooting over the remainder of the offseason

Perhaps the biggest issue for Golden State remains in the front court and finding a balance between their offensive and defensive versatility. Most believe Jonathan Kuminga simply has to start entering his fourth season, but simultaneously it's unfair to expect Draymond Green to be the team's starting center from opening night.

The Warriors could start Kuminga, Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but that leaves a distinct lack of shooting and a $26 million player in Andrew Wiggins coming off the bench. It's not just that Golden State has this issue, it's that they've really got no front court shooting in general even coming off the bench.

Kyle Anderson is a valuable addition but shot just 22.9% from beyond the arc last season, while Kevon Looney is neither a shooter not expected to be part of a fully healthy rotation going forward. The Warriors did add a seven-foot, three-point shooting big man in the form of Quentin Post at July's NBA Draft, but getting any rotation minutes from the 52nd overall pick should be seen as a bonus rather than something to be relied upon.

In their Markkanen report on Tuesday, The Athletic did mention that Golden State would continue exploring smaller-scale deals over the remainder of the offseason. If that's the case, much of it should be focused on acquiring some version of a stretch big. It doesn't necessarily need to be a starting-calibre player, but at least someone who can give you greater optionality than what they currently have.

There are options out there for the Warriors. Obtaining one of Brook Lopez or Bobby Portis may be their best route, yet should be considered unlikely given the duos standing as top six rotation members on a contending team, not to mention the Milwaukee Bucks place as a second apron team makes it more difficult for a deal to happen.

The other issue for Golden State is that they still want to keep their powder dry for a bigger move down the track, meaning they can't give up too much in the way of assets now that would in anyway compromise that possibility.

Let's have a look at three arguably more realistic trade proposals that lands Golden State a shooting big man, while also retaining much of their assets moving forward.