Rumors of a potential Anthony Davis trade to the Golden State Warriors are persisting while LeBron James remains available in free agency, but the franchise's latest signing on Thursday adds a new twist to that possibility.
The Warriors have reunited with Charles Bassey on a one-year deal, providing more depth to the team's center rotation after they lost Quinten Post to the Memphis Grizzlies as a restricted free agent on Tuesday.
Charles Bassey adds new twist to potential Anthony Davis trade
Is the Bassey signing an indication that Golden State don't have much interest in a Davis trade, or that they're not confident the Washington Wizards will eventually relent in talks that could help them land James as a free agent?
The likelihood is that this Bassey move doesn't make any difference to whether or not the Warriors pursue a Davis move, but it nonetheless adds a new twist when considering what the roster could look like afterwards.
Golden State needed a third big to provide some insurance for the veteran duo of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, giving Bassey another opportunity after impressing in five games at the end of last season.
Could Bassey become the fourth big if the Warriors trade for Davis? Given the 10x All-Star's own significant injury history and his desire to play power forward, Bassey might still be valuable as insurance in that scenario.
Perhaps it would also allow Golden State to move Porzingis in a different move, something that's already feasible after the Latvian big man signed an extension that keeps him trade-eligible throughout the offseason.
These are the questions and possibilities that stem from Thursday's Bassey signing, along with a further Davis move if the Warriors want to turn their LeBron James dream into reality over the coming weeks.
Anthony Davis reportedly asking for huge contract extension
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints on Thursday, Davis and his agent Rich Paul are lobbying for a four-year, $275 million contract extension, even if there's a widespread acknowledgement that no team is going to pay the 33-year-old that much given his recent injury history.
Still, this could be a significant point of leverage come August 6 once Davis becomes extension-eligible, potentially forcing the Wizards to think about his future and open up the avenue to a trade with the Warriors.
For now the Warriors will go in with Porzingis, Horford and Bassey as their core center trio, but there's still mutliple moves to be made that suggests things could drastically change, including the potential of a Davis trade.
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