Grade the Trade: Warriors retain key asset while landing Curry co-star in mock deal
In the wake of their season concluding last week, many key personnel have promised change at the Golden State Warriors this offseason. Given the franchise will once again be hamstrung in free agency, the only significant change may come via trade.
The Warriors made a considerable move last offseason when they traded Jordan Poole in a package for Chris Paul, but they'll need a far more impactful transaction this time around should they wish to return to championship contention.
Could the Golden State Warriors land a Stephen Curry co-star this offseason while also retaining their brightest young asset?
If there was one thing that became obvious throughout the season and in last Tuesday's defeat to the Sacramento Kings, it was Golden State's lack of secondary shot-creation next to Stephen Curry who was hounded throughout the game.
The Warriors ideally need to bring in a second star this offseason, but is it worth the franchise giving up young assets when they were the biggest positives to emanate from the year? Jonathan Kuminga developed into a high-level scorer and one of the league's most improved players, while rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis far exceeded all expectation.
Is there a way the Warriors could acquire another star and keep a couple of their best young players in the process? In a recent trade proposal, Heavy Sports' Sean Deveney suggests Golden State make another play at Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.
The Warriors have been linked to Markkanen at different points over the last 12 months, with the 26-year-old's multi-faceted offensive skillset seemingly a perfect fit for a team needing scoring and shooting in the frontcourt.
Most previous trade proposals have explored a straight two-team trade between Golden State and Utah, but Deveney's mock deal adds a wrinkle with the Dallas Mavericks involved as a third team. Let's look at how the deal would materialize:
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