The Golden State Warriors reportedly have interest in Chicago Bulls big man Jalen Smith, but there remains a disparity in the respective salaries of he and Kristaps Porzingis.
This is where the Warriors could ironically reunite with veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield, having traded away the 33-year-old in the deal that initially saw Porzingis land in the Bay Area in February.
Warriors can reunite with Buddy Hield in Jalen Smith trade
Hield was already traded multiple times during the offseason, firstly to the Charlotte Hornets and then to the Bulls. His $9.7 million expiring salary fits perfectly to balance out a Porzingis-Smith swap, though Golden State would be left having to waive a player in the wake of a deal.
The Warriors wouldn’t want to reunite with Hield, but it may be the cost of acquiring Smith who is the real value in the trade as Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office explore a Porzingis resolution, and ideally one that bolsters their center rotation.
Smith has averaged 11.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game, proving a reasonable replacement for Nic Claxton who's nearing a return from a hamstring injury sustained in preseason. No one's suggesting that Smith would be a long-term starter for Golden State, but he could be a short-term solution who doesn't eat into the franchise's projected salary cap space next year.
The other element is that if the Bulls and Warriors pulled off a trade now, the contracts of Smith and Hield would be able to be aggregated again before the deadline if need be, as Golden State did with Dennis Schroder two seasons ago.
Buddy Hield may still be helpful for Warriors on short-handed nights
While Hield wouldn't be part of a healthy Warrior rotation, his immense durability could make him valuable on nights where the team is short-handed and without other veterans like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Hield has averaged 13 minutes across eight games with the Bulls, posting 5.6 points on 48.6% shooting from the floor and 38.1% from three-point range. He can't be aggregated with Smith in a trade till November 27, but that would still leave time for them to be moved again before the deadline.
Along with Hield, veteran big man Zach Collins and backup point guard Tre Jones are two other players on mid-tier salaries who could be combined with Smith to get just under Porzingis' contract. Alternatively, the Warriors could also acquire Smith by using Moses Moody's $12.5 million salary, though that would seem unlikely.
Add us as a preferred source on Google