The Golden State Warriors want something that they don't have.
In the midst of suspensions, injuries, young players blossoming and more suspensions, the Warriors couldn't settle on a single specific starting lineup. Some of that indecision took place in the backcourt, but a major question that Steve Kerr couldn't definitively answer was who to start at the two big positions.
Historically the Warriors have started a traditional big man at the 5 and Draymond Green at the 4; they kicked things off for the year with that look, Kevon Looney and Green starting. The spacing on such a lineup is extremely limited, especially if Jonathan Kuminga is starting at small forward. The Warriors then shifted to a more spaced-out group with Draymond at center, Kuminga at the 4 and Andrew Wiggins at the 3.
That group played well but also lacked size and overall rim protection; as good as Green is, he cannot be everywhere on the court. He is at his defensive best roaming around the court with another big shutting off water at the rim. The Warriors switched back to that kind of lineup by promoting rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis into the starting lineup, although that look forced one of Wiggins or Kuminga back to the bench.
If the Warriors go big, they lose spacing; if they go small, they lose size and rim protection. As they look around the league for ways to improve their roster, one thing that may be rising toward the top of their shopping list is a unicorn center.
The Warriors would love to find a unicorn center
The Boston Celtics are currently in the NBA Finals two years after losing to the Warriors, and something they changed about their team was adding Kristaps Porzingis, a towering center who combines elite shot-blocking with consistent outside shooting. A center who has size and rim protection inside but also has to be guarded outside of the arc is an extremely valuable type of player in the modern NBA, and it led former Warriors Kevin Durant to give Porzingis the title of "unicorn" back in 2016.
What was novel in 2016 is a little more common in 2024, but the Warriors haven't found such a player; James Wiseman thought he was that kind of player, and stretch bigs like Dario Saric and Nemanja Bjelica haven't been able to defend the paint. The Warriors would greatly benefit from finding one of these players.
The problem is that most "unicorn" bigs are highly coveted by their teams. Porzingis is entrenched on the Celtics, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama are centerpieces of their teams, Myles Turner and Jaren Jackson Jr. aren't going anywhere. Joel Embiid is an MVP. The options are not vast.
One player who has proven himself as a two-way force may just be available this summer, and perhaps at a price the Warriors can afford. Let's look at a former champion who could be a perfect fit alongside Draymond Green in this last run of the Warriors and see what it would take to trade for him.
Laying out a trade between the Bucks and Warriors
The Milwaukee Bucks are an expensive team, pushing above the second luxury tax apron that now triggers penalties not just in dollars but also in team-building tools. That payroll didn't get them very far this year, as they had a tumultuous season that included firing a head coach and losing in the first round of the playoffs.
As the Bucks look at ways to retool around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, they need to find a way to add depth with their limited team-building tools. One path to do so could be to move on from one highly-paid starter in order to get back multiple players; they cannot aggregate salaries in a deal (i.e. trade two or more players together) but they can take back multiple players as long as the total money coming back is less than they sent out.
Brook Lopez has been a crucial part of their success over the past half-decade or more, but he wasn't a favorite of new head coach Doc Rivers, and Milwaukee could play more minutes with Bobby Portis and Antetokounmpo on the court together. Doing so would allow them to shop the aging Lopez, who turned 36 years old this past season.
If Lopez does hit the market, the Warriors should pick up the phone. They can offer a package in return that would help the Bucks out with multiple rotation players without overpaying for a player near the end of his career. Here's what a deal could look like:
Making this trade would give the Bucks three rotation players. Kevon Looney could either start alongside Giannis or come off the bench as the backup center. Moses Moody could start at shooting guard ahead of Malik Beasley, who may walk in free agency anyways. Gary Payton II would give them the point-of-attack defender they didn't have last year.
Losing Lopez as a rim protector would be a hit to the Bucks' defense, but they would be getting back three competent defenders (and one elite one) that would better spread the defensive ability across multiple levels and not simply on the back line. They would also be getting significantly younger, part of an on-the-fly retooling around Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee may be looking for draft compensation, but given Lopez's age and the relative value of centers vs other positions, the Warriors would be providing fair value with this offer; perhaps they throw in a second-round pick to get it over the finish line.
If that option is on the table, do the Warriors make this deal? Let's evaluate whether it's a trade worth making.
Should the Warriors make this trade?
The Warriors had something of a "good problem to have" last season in that they had too many good players to fit into a rotation. Every healthy game someone was being left out, whether that be Kevon Looney, Moses Moody or even down-roster players like Dario Saric and Lester Quinones. Kerr was forced to try and "find the hot hand" every game. Tightening the rotation should be a goal of the team this summer, turning multiple good pieces into one better one.
Brook Lopez is an excellent fit with the Warriors' roster. On defense he is one of the league's premier drop defenders, completely walling off the paint with his 7'1" frame and preternatural instincts. Few players are better at defending the pick-and-roll and both deterring the ball-handler and preventing the lob pass behind him. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting two seasons ago and was every bit as good this past year.
On offense, Lopez shoots 4+ 3-pointers per game and makes them at a decent clip, shooting 36.6 percent from deep last season on 5.1 attempts per game. That shooting forces defenses to defend him, opening up the paint. That has allowed the Bucks' offense to thrive with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo having enough room to operate as a non-shooting power forward.
Losing Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney is painful, as both have been integral veterans on this team for years. Moses Moody is a young player on the cusp of breaking out and it would be tough to move him at a lower value before that happens. At the same time, the Warriors need to turn depth into excellence, and they need to prioritize fit around their aging but still powerful core. The Warriors need a center who can defend and shoot, and Lopez fits the bill.
The Warriors would have a big rotation of Lopez, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Draymond Green, giving them optionality and elite defense. They would also retain all of their first-round picks in this deal, giving them the flexibility to seek out another trade for a second offensive creator to pair with Stephen Curry. The spacing Lopez provides means they could seek out a star who isn't an elite shooter, someone like Jimmy Butler or DeMar DeRozan, if they liked the fit otherwise with the team.
The Warriors still have other questions to answer, but Lopez would check one major box and be an ideal veteran to plug into the lineup. If this deal is on the table, the Warriors just might need to take it.
Grade: A-