The Golden State Warriors are one of the early losers from Giannis Antetokounmpo's move to the Miami Heat, having not just missed out on the two-time MVP but also the ability to land their ideal draft target, Brayden Burries, in the process.
Yet the Warriors could still have the opportunity to turn that around, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. proposed as a trade target for the franchise after his move to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the Antetokounmpo deal.
Warriors can be winners of Giannis trade by acquiring Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Interest remains on what the Bucks could do with the players they acquired in exchange for Antetokounmpo, namely Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware and Jaquez. Yozzi Gozlan of Third Apron has suggested Milwaukee should be looking at moving Jaquez again this offseason, particularly given he's extension-eligible after being taken the pick (18) before Brandin Podziemski at the 2023 NBA Draft.
Gozlan's colleague Sam Quinn concurred, pointing to the Warriors as the team who should be looking at Jaquez and proposing a deal that would see them relinquish a protected first-round pick.
"That could be a Golden State move because he fits the way they want to play. He's a tricky guy to move as an offense-centric forward who's not a great 3-point shooter, but if Golden State would do a top 10 protected first-round pick, that would be pretty interesting," Quinn said.
This is the sort of deal the Warriors should be considering, but it's also one they're unlikely to pursue given this offseason has re-affirmed that they're hesitant to give up draft capital, particularly for a non-star like Jaquez.
Jaime Jaquez could become an elite Warriors' sixth-man
Jaquez is coming off a career-best year where he finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting, having averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists on an efficient 50.7% shooting from the floor.
That's the kind of offensive production Golden State lack on their roster, especially off the bench where so many of their role players are complementary pieces to Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, rather than possessing the ability to create their own shot and offense like Jaquez can.
Still, there's hurdles to a trade that make it unlikely. Not only would the Warriors likely prefer to keep their powder dry to target another star, but it's hard to see a salary-match outside giving up Moses Moody which would probably require another player be involved from the Bucks side.
Throw in the extension complication and it's hard to see the Warriors making a move for Jaquez, even if he's the exact type of player they should be targeting to help bolster an underwhelming offense while Jimmy Butler remains sidelined by injury.
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