The Golden State Warriors are being strongly linked to a trade for Washington Wizards big man Anthony Davis, with the potential move tied to a LeBron James free agency signing.
While Davis and James may come as a package deal, the Warriors have to ensure they don't give overs to the Wizards for the All-Star big man given his age and extensive injury history. That includes keeping prized lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg off-limits in trade discussions, as much as Washington fans might be trying to will it into existence after reports of Golden State's interest in Davis.
Warriors must keep Yaxel Lendeborg off-limits in Anthony Davis trade
You can't blame Wizards fans for bringing Lendeborg up in the aftermath of the Davis reports -- Warrior fans would likely be doing the same if the situations were reversed. That doesn't mean the 11th overall pick should be part of trade talks, even if getting James and Davis might reduce Lendeborg's role slightly in his rookie year.
The obvious aspect is that Lendeborg, when combined with having to give up Jimmy Butler as matching salary, is more valuable than a player in Davis who has played just 29 games since early last year when he was part of the shock Luka Doncic trade.
Just as much as his injury history, Davis' extension-eligibility and desire for a new max deal also reduces his value. There's very few teams that are going to offer that contract, but the Warriors might prove one of them if they talk themselves into James and Davis being on less than $75 million combined.
The Wizards might have some leverage because they know the Warriors need to trade for Davis in order to sign James, but it's not that much leverage where Lendeborg is a legitimate option after only being drafted in the last seven days.
Yaxel Lendeborg would still have major role if star duo join Warriors
Golden State would also argue they drafted a 23-year-old for this exact scenario. They'd be left with a loaded frontcourt, but also an old and injury-prone one that would allow Lendeborg to still play big minutes during the regular season.
Sure, he might not get the consistent starting role that he's already envisioned in recent days, but there'd be countless nights where Steve Kerr would give Lendeborg significant opportunity on both ends of the floor.
The Warriors have the draft capital to appease the Wizards in a Davis trade. There's no need for Lendeborg to be involved, nor even Brandin Podziemski given they'd need younger players to help the veterans get through a long regular season.
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