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

Orlando Magic v Golden State Warriors
Orlando Magic v Golden State Warriors / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
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3. Warriors buy low on Rockets big after impressive Olympic campaign

Landale trade

With Alperun Sengun eating up most of the center minutes and Steven Adams set to return from injury, it's difficult to envisage Jock Landale getting too much playing time with the Houston Rockets next season.

It's therefore difficult to see the Rockets being overly desperate to keep the Australian, particularly if they just get an expiring contract in return. Landale and Kevon Looney make the exact salary next season, with the former also on non-guaranteed $8 million deals for the following two years.

After impressive recent performances at the Olympics, perhaps it's a good time for a rival team to buy low on Landale. In Australia's four games prior including their elimination at the hands of Serbia on Tuesday, the 28-year-old averaged 14.5 points which is good for 13th among all players in Paris.

Landale's scoring also came on a highly efficient 62.5% from the floor, having shown great touch around the rim while also possessing the ability to extend to the perimeter. His 8.5 rebounds are also third among Olympic players, while he also added 2.5 asissts and 1.3 steals per game.

The shooting hasn't necessarily translated to the NBA level at this stage, but Landale does have two professional seasons shooting in excess of 38% from beyond the arc prior to joining the San Antonio Spurs in 2021-22.

Would it be an exciting addition by any means? Not really. Yet if the Warriors think Looney can't get back to being a consistent rotation player, maybe they're better off taking a chance on seeing if Landale's Olympic form can continue through to the NBA stage next season.

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