The Golden State Warriors have an era-defining choice to make over the next four weeks. What type of player will they pursue to bring this roster into championship contention?
They have a valuable trade chip in Jonathan Kuminga's two-year, $47 million contract with which to hunt down their missing piece. However, they have three glaring needs that must be addressed.
They require a rim-protecting, floor-spacing center, an additional scorer in the front-court, and a reliable, high-volume ball-handler who can play behind Stephen Curry. Obviously, they cannot meet all of these needs over the next four weeks. Golden State, therefore, must decide what move will most benefit their roster.
It's already a difficult choice to face.
The recent resurgence of Quinten Post's perimeter shot, however, could make this decision even harder as the team rapidly comes closer to the Feb. 6th deadline.
Quinten Post is shooting better from 3-point range, and it could make the Warriors' center situation murky
Although Post emerged from the G-League last season as a potential solution to the Warriors' spacing woes, his slow-footedness on defense prevented him from becoming the center the team truly needed.
They added Al Horford in the offseason to combat this, but Horford has played in just 18 of the Warriors' 37 games this season and has not looked particularly productive for large swathes of the campaign.
Post, meanwhile, took lengthy strides forward on the defensive end to begin the season. However, his perimeter shot lagged behind. He knocked down just 32.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc through his first 31 games.
With questionable availability from Horford and inconsistent production from Post, it seemed clear the team needed to pursue an additional center at the trade deadline.
However, over his past six games, Post has shot 45.8% from beyond the arc on a healthy diet of four attempts per game. He has started each of the last 14 games for Golden State, and he looks to be their solution for the time being.
Horford has also looked much improved over this recent stretch. He has played in five of the Warriors' last seven games, averaging 9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists while shooting 47.1% from the floor in that span.
Suddenly, the situation becomes much less clear.
If Post's defensive developments are not merely a mirage and his 3-point shot has found its form again, the Warriors likely have enough at the center position that they would be better off addressing needs elsewhere on the roster.
Fully trusting Post with this role, however, would be a major gamble. It is one the Warriors must decide if they would feel comfortable taking over the next few weeks.