Warriors labelled "dark horse" trade destination for front court sharpshooter

The Golden State Warriors may appear concentrated on a trade for Lauri Markkanen right now, but that could quickly turn if the 2023 All-Star signs a contract extension with the Utah Jazz once eligible on August 6.

Such a scenario would still leave the Warriors with a deep roster and ideally in need of a consolidation trade before the start of next season. Perhaps they wait for another star to become available, yet they could also move for a more talented role player with a needed skillset.

The Golden State Warriors have been labelled a "dark horse" team as part of trade discussions for Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson

The Brooklyn Nets decision to trade Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last month signified their intention to enter a full-scale rebuild, leaving a number of other veteran players as candidates to be moved over the remainder of the offseason.

Bridges' former Nets and Phoenix Suns teammate Cameron Johnson headlines the list, despite having just completed the first of a four-year, $94 million contract. With a high value placed on shooting, there'll be no shortage of suitors interested in someone who's shot 39.2% on nearly six three-point attempts per game across their career.

Golden State could be one of those teams interested in trading for Johnson, at least according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post who labelled them a "dark horse" for the 28-year-old.

"While the Kings, Magic and Lakers are interested, one recent report claimed the Spurs, Raptors or Warriors could be a “dark horse."

- Brian Lewis

Johnson would certainly be intriguing given the Warriors front court currently lacks spacing threats with the likes of Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney. Their starting small forward, Andrew Wiggins, is also coming off a season where his perimeter shooting was inconsistent and worse than his previous three seasons with the franchise.

Johnson is a 6'8" sharpshooter who's averaged 12.5, 15.5 and 13.4 points over the last three seasons, while adding just over four rebounds per game. The issue is that while he'd give an element of difference to the front court, it's difficult seeing him starting over any of Wiggins, Green or Kuminga.

As a result, do Golden State really want to be paying in excess of $20 million for a sixth or seventh man? The answer is no. You may even have to give up Wiggins to try and make the salaries work in a trade, something that simply wouldn't be worth it in a straight swap, let alone the Nets wanting picks in addition.

There's certainly reasons as to why the Warriors would hold interest in Johnson, but the financial commitment makes it incredibly difficult particularly when he wouldn't be moving the needle in any significant fashion.