The Golden State Warriors know their current roster is unlikely to match the top tier of contenders in the Western Conference next season.
There's a reason why the franchise actively pursued a trade for LeBron James dating back to last season, turned their attention to Paul George prior to free agency, then were the number one team linked to Lauri Markkanen before he renegotiated and extended his contract with the Utah Jazz.
None of those came to fruition for various reasons. Now they're left with a deep roster that lacks the top-end star talent to be a genuine championship contender, but who could perhaps man the fort effectively until that player arrives, whether via a significant leap from Jonathan Kuminga and/or Brandin Podziemski, or arguably more likely via trade.
Which potential trade candidates should the Golden State Warriors pursue, and which should they have little interest in?
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently composed an article looking at the top three trade targets for every NBA team. Analyzing the top three candidates for Golden State, at least semi-realistic ones, is a tough task given the plethora of players who have already been linked to the franchise, or who are likely to be in the coming months.
The truth is that the Warriors should be interested in a whole host of players given the respective deficiencies on the roster. Their number one priority is to clearly find a secondary offensive star to partner and relieve the burden on 36-year-old Stephen Curry, but there's also other areas they could look to address.
Curry and Brandin Podziemski are the only point guard options on a roster that lacks depth in that position, while there's a distinct lack of front court shooting beyond 52nd overall pick Quinten Post who's likely to spend a majority of his rookie year in the G League.
But in regard to Swartz' top three trade targets for the Warriors, let's evaluate whether the franchise should truly pursue these players in the short-term, or whether they should pass and look at other options: