The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic when no one else thought he was on the trade deadline. It was completely unprecedented, and it's hard to think any trade for many years to come will even come close to the pure shock that deal sent around the basketball world.
So, no, the Golden State Warriors probably won't be able to trade for a Luka-like player in the next three weeks leading up to the trade deadline. But we have entered an era where every trade feels like it's on the table, and after Jimmy Butler's season-ending ACL tear, the Warriors feel more desperate to add a star player than ever before.
If they do that, it might have to be via a shock trade like Luka-to-LA was. There are no Doncic-level players available for trade this year, but pestering Utah's front office about Lauri Markkanen, the Knicks about Karl-Anthony Towns, the Heat about Tyler Herro, and any other team that's shown even an inkling of desire to deal a high-level player is a requirement for Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Joe Lacob over the next few weeks.
I don't care about a Jonathan Kuminga trade! Go get an All-Star or this season (and probably next season, too) is effectively over before beginning. Okay, fine, I still care about a Jonathan Kuminga trade, but for the Warriors to be taken seriously this year, anything involving Kuminga must be the second-biggest deal the Warriors are involved in before February 5th.
Warriors might need to take a massive swing at the deadline
No, it's not going to be Giannis, for the record. The Warriors don't have nearly enough to get a deal done with the Bucks, no matter how many first-rounders they're willing to include. That is, unless the Warriors can fleece the Bucks in the way the Lakers did the Mavericks too, but don't hold your breath on that one.
Instead, the Warriors getting back into real contention in the meat grinder of the Western Conference will likely require, frankly, overpaying for a near All-Star. Giving up young players and three first-rounders for Lauri Markkanen, for example, or four for Karl-Anthony Towns. To pull off a shocking trade, the package has to be, well, shocking.
The Luka Doncic trade isn't an attainable goal because of how outrageous every part of the deal was (and still is). But this Warriors team is trending in the wrong direction, and coming out of the woodworks with a blockbuster like the Lakers did last season is the only real path back to prominence. Does this front office have it in them?