Despite the Dallas Mavericks reportedly initiating discussions with the Golden State Warriors on an Anthony Davis trade, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office has no interest in moving on from Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green.
Combine this with their desire to retain draft capital for a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade in the future, and it's becoming painfully obvious that Golden State's next trade should be for Michael Porter Jr.
Trading for Michael Porter Jr. should be Warriors next move
Porter is quickly becoming the best and most realistic trade target for the Warriors given they wouldn't have to give up Butler or Green, and nor would it cost the same level of draft assets that the New Orleans Pelicans might need in a deal for Trey Murphy III.
Porter's improvement this season was as advertised when Golden State visited Brooklyn to face the Nets on Monday, with the 27-year-old putting up huge numbers despite his team falling to a 120-107 defeat at Barclays center.
The 6'10" forward had 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals in 36 minutes, shooting 10-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Porter is now averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season, having flourished as a primary option after spending the first seven years of his career in Denver.
A combination of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Buddy Hield easily reaches Porter's $38.3 million salary, leaving the major complication on exactly how many picks the Nets would want. While it may remain less than what the Pelicans want for Murphy, there's no doubt Brooklyn has done an exceptional job improving Porter's trade value through the first 30 games or so.
A quartet of Curry, Butler, Green and Porter would certainly be interesting, though whether it could match it with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets as a legitimate contender would still be up for debate.
Having a 6'10" sharpshooter would bring a new dynamic to the Golden State offense, one that's proven lackluster at times this season in ranking 18th across the league. A starting lineup of Curry, Butler, Porter, Green and Quinten Post would bring size that the Warriors have so often lacked, while also making their small-ball units a little more legitimate given Porter's length.
With Davis seemingly out of the picture unless the Warriors adjust their stance on Green or Butler, Porter is becoming the obvious trade target to chase in order to acquire a major roster upgrade for the second-half of the season.