While the Golden State were quiet in the final hours before the NBA trade deadline, one of their former fan favorites found himself among the host of moves on a frantic final day.
After leaving the Warriors to sign with the Toronto Raptors in the 2022 offseason, Otto Porter Jr. was officially traded to the Utah Jazz on Thursday in a deal that yielded the Raptors Canadian native Kelly Olynyk.
Could the Golden State Warriors reunite with 2022 NBA champion Otto Porter Jr. as a buyout candidate in the coming weeks?
The trade ended a rather tumultuous time for Porter in Toronto, with the former third overall pick limited to just 23 of a possible 133 games with the franchise since his arrival. That included just eight games last season before undergoing foot surgery.
While he returned at the start of this season, Porter's form has been underwhelming in limited minutes. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game, shooting 34.8% from three-point range.
Having not played in any of Toronto's last 20 games (since December 30), and with an expiring $6.3 million contract, Porter's future is again under the microscope after his move to the Jazz on Thursday.
Welcome to Utah, Otto 🏔️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/fzCTDMYYtO
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 8, 2024
While there's been no direct report of Porter being bought out by Utah, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel suggested to "keep an eye" on Porter ahead of the deadline and that the Suns, Clippers, Warriors, and Celtics would "all make sense".
While a re-routing trade didn't materialize, perhaps the Jazz could still consider a Porter buyout in the coming days/weeks? If that were to eventuate, should Golden State be interested in bringing back the 2022 NBA champion?
Porter is more idea than reality at this stage, with many still holding a soft spot for the 30-year-old given his impact for the Warriors in their championship season. However, that's the only time in the past five years where Porter has played more than 28 games in a season.
If Golden State believe they can get Porter healthy, then perhaps they could consider him for their vacant 14th roster spot. Not only is that a risk that would cost them millions in luxury tax payments, but there's also question marks on what a healthy Porter could bring to a playoff contending team at this stage of his career.