Warriors reportedly had interest in pairing Stephen Curry with 6x All-Star

The Golden State Warriors were heavily involved in trade speculation during the offseason, most notably surrounding 9x All-Star Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.

Having missed out on acquiring either player, there's plenty of intrigue on what the Warriors may now do with a deep roster that appears in need of a consolidation trade prior to the mid-season deadline.

The Warriors reportedly had interest in DeMar DeRozan

While Golden State were constantly linked to moves for George and then Markkanen, there was far less information on their interest in another All-Star in the form of DeMar DeRozan. According to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors were one of five teams who showed an interest in adding DeRozan.

"DeMar DeRozan, who league sources say explored scenarios with the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Warriors in search of a market value deal, had grown more fond of the Sacramento idea as time went on," Amick and Slater wrote.

DeRozan ultimately joined the pacific rival Sacramento Kings on a three-year, $73.9 miliion contract, having been involved in a three-team sign-and-trade that sent former Warrior Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs.

It's interesting to wonder how the Warriors would have manufactured a DeRozan addition. Perhaps it would have included 2022 All-Star Andrew Wiggins who is on a similar salary, or maybe they could have tried to get DeRozan as part of a different Klay Thompson sign-and-trade. Golden State turned their franchise legend into two valuable rotation players -- Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield -- in a six-team sign-and-trade, but maybe DeRozan could have been an alternative had the 35-year-old been willing.

It's also interesting to ponder how DeRozan would have fit as a Warrior. His methodical mid-range style doesn't necessarily complement Steve Kerr's offense, yet he would have undoubtedly filled the void of adding another offensive star next to Curry.

DeRozan averaged at least 24 points in each of his three seasons with the Chicago Bulls, having also proved one of the most durable stars in the league with at least 68 games in eight of the past nine years. While he only shot 33.3% from beyond the arc last season, DeRozan did show a greater willingness to take threes with 2.8 per game - his highest in six seasons.

Combine that with much-improved playmaking in recent years and perhaps DeRozan would have been a better fit with the Warriors than first thought. Instead, the 15-year veteran will be a direct rival, with the Warriors set to face DeRozan and the Kings for the first time on January 5 at Chase Center.