Kristaps Porzingis has been a major positive for the Golden State Warriors in recent weeks, and while there's already been reports of a new deal for the veteran center in free agency, the option remains for a sign-and-trade to still take place during the offseason.
That's just what's been proposed in a recent mock trade, yet flipping Porzingis as part of a package for Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. would be a foolish move for the Warriors based on their current needs.
Warriors trade Kristaps Porzingis for Michael Porter Jr. in proposed offseason move
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has suggested Golden State could trade Porzingis, young guard Brandin Podziemski and their first-round pick (currently projected to be at 11) for Porter in a seismic summer move.
..."If the goal is competing at the highest possible level for however long Stephen Curry sticks around, who would help more: a lottery pick, an oft-injured Porziņģis and the inconsistent Podziesmki, or Porter, a 6'10" scoring forward with a career 49.3/39.8/81.2 slash line? Porter's per-game numbers with the Nets and his pay rate are both inflated, but that may not matter to Golden State," Buckley wrote.
If this was about simply flipping Porzingis for Porter, then you could certainly understand it given the former's availability issues. But there's other aspects at play here when it comes to the trade and the current roster.
Podziemski may draw criticism from fans regularly, but having him on a $5.7 million deal for next season is still strong value. The Warriors could also use the 11th overall pick on a bonafide rotation player to step in next season, and/or someone who may become just as good as Porter in the long-term.
Then there's the fact Porter is set to make $40.8 million next season -- a mark that might prove double what Golden State could re-sign Porzingis for, and subsequently makes the value of the two players closer than what may be first thought.
Warriors still need to prioritize the center position
Golden State could certainly use Porter, especially while Jimmy Butler remains on the sidelines recovering from his torn ACL. However, the end product of this team includes the 6x All-Star, and therefore having a starting quality center that fits with both Butler and Stephen Curry should be a greater priority.
While Porzingis hasn't played with either Curry or Butler at this stage, he's already displayed the kind of offensive skillset that should be a perfect complement, having averaged 18.2 points on 37% 3-point shooting over his last 10 games.
If this were Draymond Green in the sign-and-trade as opposed to Porzingis, then the move would make a lot more sense for the Warriors. Yet they've just landed themselves a skilled big man for the first time in essentially a decade (outside DeMarcus Cousins), and despite the health concerns, they shouldn't be so easily willing to move on from Porzingis and significant assets in a deal for Porter.