It's not exactly a secret that the Golden State Warriors have a big need at center right now. With a little under six weeks remaining before media days and training camp, there's still some options out there, and the Warriors might do well to give the Phoenix Suns a call concerning Oso Ighodaro.
Now, if you're not as die-hard an NBA fan, you may not know who this is. Ighodaro was drafted 40th overall in the 2024 Draft and spent his rookie year in Phoenix. Basically his archetype as a player is that of a very athletic shot-blocking big man with some exciting upside as a playmaker.
If you've been paying attention to this offseason around the league, it's very apparent that the Suns are not exactly in a position to get back to the playoffs. They're going to theoretically be rebuilding for quite some time, and that opens the door for them to be flexible with several guys on their roster.
That is especially true when you look at how much roster overlap they're currently dealing with. Phoenix currently has Mark Williams, the rookie Khaman Maluach, and Nick Richards all rostered, and all are theoretically going to receive minutes at center in the coming season. That leaves Ighodaro as sort of the odd man out.
Oso Ighodaro could be the perfect buy-low option for Golden State
It would be wise of the Warriors to give a simple call to Brian Gregory and see what the asking price for Ighodaro would be. There are not a ton of reliable center options still on the market, and they can't afford to enter the month of October without some reinforcements on the interior.
Ighodaro could end up being the perfect gamble for a few different reasons. First of all, his raw talent is something that would be appreciated right away. Of course if you're the Warriors, your main priority has to be getting established guys that can help your main stars in Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green win now.
But in scenarios where that's not really an option like with the current center dilemma, your next best bet is to buy low on high-upside guys. And that's the second reason this would be a worthy risk to take. Phoenix may still have the leverage, but it's not like they're going to ask for a ton in return for Ighodaro.
Should Golden State strike a deal for the young big man, they could end up with a real steal if they do things right.