Many viewed the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers in a similar boat entering the season, such is the aging nature of both Western Conference teams.
It's the Clippers who find themselves in an increasingly disastrous position though, having sunk to a 4-10 record and with the sort of injury concerns that could stunningly make them 'sellers' rather than 'buyers' come the mid-season deadline.
Clippers could be a shocking potential trade partner for the Warriors
Playing without star forward Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers lost back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers by a combined five points on Sunday and Monday. They've now lost eight of their past nine games, with the only win coming in double overtime against the equally struggling Dallas Mavericks.
To make matters worse, Leonard remains out, major free agency addition Bradley Beal is now out for the entire season, and starting forward Derrick Jones Jr. suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday that now has him sidelined for at least six weeks.
In a fact that's not only concerning for the Clippers but the entire league in general, their first-round pick in 2026 is owed completely unprotected to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. It's for that reason that the embattled franchise is unlikely to give up on their season anytime soon, but with nine of their next 11 games on the road, the Clippers may have no choice but to tear it down before the deadline.
Could the Warriors capitalize on that if it were to happen? We know they've had interest in some Clippers players in the past, including veteran forward Nic Batum whose numbers don't look overly appetizing so far this season.
What about Brook Lopez after he was initially seen as a potential free agent target in the offseason? Golden State rightfully focused their attention on Al Horford instead during the summer, but perhaps they could have both on their roster if Steve Kerr's wavering confidence and trust in young big man Quinten Post continues.
Lopez has averaged 6.6 points and 2.2 rebounds with the Clippers so far this season, having posted 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds on 37.3% shooting from 3-point range in his final year with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Perhaps the Clippers get in such a hopeless situation that they consider trading Leonard, albeit it's highly unlikely Golden State would look at the 34-year-old unless they themselves were in a desperate position.
For now it's a positive for the Warriors that one of their closest rivals has seemingly fallen off a cliff, but it's also worth monitoring further over the next few months to see if an unlikely trade opportunity could arise.