After weeks where it appeared certain that they wouldn't be making a blockbuster trade, the Golden State Warriors could be back in the hunt for a big name prior to the February 6 deadline.
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler re-emerged as a trade target on Tuesday, while Zach LaVine has now resurfaced as an option in a significant report from Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic on Wednesday.
The Warriors are trying to correct their Zach LaVine mistake
While LaVine makes plenty of sense for the Warriors as a secondary scorer/shot creator alongside Stephen Curry in the back court, there's a sense of frustration that comes with renewed interest in the 2x All-Star.
Golden State could have had LaVine during the offseason, having reportedly turned down Chicago's offer of the 29-year-old for Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins. Now you can completely understand why the Warriors rejected that particular deal, but it's not a stretch to say they may have been able to make a revized deal that included Paul and the expiring contracts of Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney.
That's how low LaVine's value had fallen during the offseason, having come off a year where he appeared in just 25 games due to injury. But instead of acquiring LaVine at a cheap price, Golden State chose to waive Paul's non-guaranteed deal and enter free agency with far great flexibility to make mid-tier signings.
The issue is those mid-tier additions haven't worked out. De'Anthony Melton suffered an unfortunate season-ending ACL injury after a promising start, and his replacement via trade, Dennis Schroder, has struggled since his arrival in mid-December.
Buddy Hield looked an inspired acquisition through the first 10 games, but has struggled fairly dramatically over an extended 30-game stretch. Kyle Anderson looked to be the safest of the three offseason signings, yet he's spent significant portions out of Steve Kerr's rotation.
Now, just over a week out from the trade deadline, the Warriors are trying to correct their mistake by pursuing LaVine only after an impressive start to the season where his value has risen significantly. The 29-year-old is averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists, shooting an incredible 51.1% from the floor and 44.6% from beyond the arc.
The fact Golden State didn't have the foresight to trade for LaVine during the offseason is annoying for many fans who've since had to watch an offense that's ranked 16th in the NBA. It's now a wait-and-see on whether the Warriors actually do land LaVine, which would only further reiterate their acceptance of that initial mistake.