Ranking 3 recent Warriors trade proposals from least disastrous to most disastrous
The Golden State Warriors may have missed out on Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this offseason, but their aim to acquire another All-Star level player should remain a priority over the coming months.
Stephen Curry reaffirmed his ability to be one of the best players in the world at the recent Olympics, going for 17 threes and 60 points across the final two games to lead Team USA to another Gold Medal.
3 recent trade proposals may add significant talent to the Golden State Warriors, but neither present as overly appealing for the franchise
After missing out on Markkanen following his renegotiation and extension with the Utah Jazz, and with Curry showcasing his brilliance once again in Paris, attention has turned to who else may be available for the Warriors in their attempts to find greater support for their 2x MVP.
In a recent article, Stephen Noh of the Sporting News proposed three different trades to try and land Golden State more offensive talent. But just because a player may fill that void on paper, doesn't mean it will specifically work for the Warriors in reality. There's a reason they were so keen on George and Markkanen, yet have little interest in Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine.
None of these three proposed trades are categorically great deals for Golden State, in fact you could argue their bad to the point of potential disaster. Let's rank them though, starting with the best one from a Warrior perspective:
1. Warriors pair Stephen Curry with former MVP
Trade 3
If adding James Harden is the best of three proposed trades, it probably doesn't say much about the potential of the other two. While the former MVP isn't trade eligible yet after only just re-signing with the L.A. Clippers, this isn't the first time he's been flaoted as a name to monitor for Golden State.
If it's just about adding more offensive talent and in particular another shot-creator, then Harden makes some sense even at this diminished version. His production did drop last season but saw a spike in six playoff games where the 34-year-old averaged 21.2 points and 8.0 assists on 38.3% three-point shooting.
Flipping Wiggins (and Payton) for Harden would be a major step backwards defensively, yet perhaps that's just what you sacrifice to ensure Curry doesn't have to carry too much of a burden on the other side of the ball. The Warriors would also be moving the remaining three years of Wiggins' contract for two years of Harden, the second of which is a player option.
Giving up a first-round pick isn't ideal, but at least it conveys next season and not further down the track. Golden State may consider that a Curry-Harden combination can be dynamic enough offensively to make them a playoff team -- is that in itself worth it even if they don't figure to be a genuine contender?