There's very few who believe the Golden State Warriors won't make another move ahead of the February 6 deadline, having already traded for Dennis Schroder less than a month ago.
It's more a question of what trade the Warriors will make more so than if they will, with a number of options on the table given a myriad of current issues across the roster. Nikola Vucevic has emerged as a strong option for Golden State over recent days, but there's sure to be a number of other options that arise over the next month.
Warriors could flip championship veterans for 3-and-D wing
One scenario that was proposed on Monday is the idea of the Warriors being the third team involved in a Cam Johnson trade. Golden State had some interest in the veteran sharpshooter prior to the Schroder trade, and while they may no longer have too much interest in Johnson himself, they could still find themselves as part of the deal.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported on Monday that the Warriors are "monitoring" 3-and-D wing Aaron Nesmith who could be part of the Indiana Pacers plans to acquire Johnson from the Nets prior to the deadline.
Seigel also suggests that the Pacers could have interest in 3x champion Kevon Looney to solidify their front court depth, while Golden State could acquire Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe in a somewhat complicated but workable process.
"When you connect the dots, everything starts to make more sense. Johnson and Looney fill two key needs for the Pacers. Nesmith is a player the Warriors are monitoring, and Sharpe could replace Looney in Golden State's rotation," Seigel wrote.
To put it simply, the Warriors would acquire Nesmith and Sharpe for Looney and fellow veteran Gary Payton II, with some draft capital surely thrown in from the Golden State side. Is that a worthwhile deal for a franchise that currently sits at 18-17 after an electric 12-3 opening?
You can see the interest in Nesmith who would be far closer to a De'Anthony Melton-type replacement than what Dennis Schroder has been as more of a traditional point guard. Nesmith appeared in Indiana's first six games this season but hasn't been seen since, having posted 9.2 points on 54.5% 3-point shooting prior to his current ankle injury.
Nesmith was a key starter to a Pacers team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, having averaged a career-high 12.2 points on 41.9% from beyond the arc. The 25-year-old is also in the first year of a very affordable three-year, $33 million contract, while Sharpe is on a $4 million expiring contact as a very servicable backup big man.
But would Nesmith really be the best use of Looney and Payton's expiring contracts? Golden State would still have Schroder and Buddy Hield as options next to Curry, while it feels like Moses Moody could just develop into a Nesmith-type with extra opportunity.
It's a move that would very likely make the Warriors better, but there are more high-upside deals that should probably be explored first before they settle on something like this.