Trading for Zach LaVine would reek of Warriors desperation
Without Paul's contract in the mix as it was previously, it's simply unwise for Golden State to trade Wiggins for LaVine. Chicago essentially gave them the opportunity to do so before free agency and they rightfully turned it down.
LaVine would provide an offensive upgrade no doubt, but acquiring him for Wiggins would also be a major step backwars defensively, not to mention that Looney and Payton are also defensive-minded players that would harm the Warriors from a depth standpoint.
Trading for LaVine would also rule out the prospect of getting Lauri Markkanen, who needless to say would be a far better option. There was a theory circulating on social media on Tuesday that Golden State could try and pry a pick out of Chicago to send to the Jazz as part of a deal for Markkanen. While gaining a pick from the Bulls may be realistic, a follow-up trade for Markkanen isn't financially viable as outlined by GSWCBA.
Can’t do both.
— GSWCBA (@gswcba) July 9, 2024
LaVine+Markkanen is about $61M.
They’re $535k below the hardcap so they would have to send out at least $60.5M.
On top of that you have to account for filling out all the vacated roster spots with minimums ($2.1M) after.
It’s not feasible. https://t.co/MqbYKb9Pg9
Perhaps a mid-season deal could be feasible when the recently-signed De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield become trade eligible, but it still doesn't stop the fact that the Warriors would be far less flexible in what they can do moving forward with LaVine on the books for three years and nearly $140 million.
Summary:
This would be making a trade for the sake of making a trade, rather than any explicit move to upgrade the roster. Perhaps the Warriors would be better with LaVine, but not to the extent where they'd be anywhere near contention in the Western Conference. On the flip side, the 29-year-old's contract and injury-history makes the deal potentially catastrophic and one that could haunt Golden State for years to come.