The Golden State Warriors made a splash move on Wednesday night, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Obviously, that is the big news of the night. Porzingis, although he's dealt with injury struggles throughout his career, provides the Warriors with the interior presence they have long sought after. This deal also brings the well-chronicled and drama-filled Kuminga saga to a somewhat anticlimatic ending.
However, Golden State also made another move in the wake of the Porzingis trade, dealing Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick (via the Lakers). In doing so, they have cleared out an extra roster spot and loosened up the center rotation to make room for Porzingis.
Given the promise that Jackson-Davis once showed as a lob threat and a potentially dynamic interior scorer, this ending to his Warriors career is somewhat disappointing. But the move was necessary nonetheless.
Trayce Jackson-Davis was a casualty of the Warriors' greatest need
Over the past couple of seasons, Golden State has needed nothing more than a reliable center to take on minutes in the starting lineup.
Trayce Jackson-Davis got his shot at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, but the Warriors quickly realized that his defensive and rebounding skill-set simply were not sufficient. He has operated on a diet of just 11.4 minutes this season through 36 games, averaging 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 58.8% from the floor.
Porzingis comes to the team after both Draymond Green, Al Horford, and Quinten Post have failed to truly hold down the five-spot for the Warriors. Given Jackson-Davis's shortcomings relative to these players, he had little chance to earn significant minutes.
With Porzingis now in the fold, Golden State has a center they can rely on when healthy. He's averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 45.7% from the field through 17 games this season.
Jackson-Davis would have had an even tougher path to minutes following the Porzingis trade. Their move off of him was, therefore, an unfortunate necessity.
Although a lone second-round pick doesn't seem like a remarkable return for Jackson-Davis, the Warriors have done very well for themselves with their second-round draft capital in recent years. Before this trade, they had no second-round picks until 2030.
The pair of trades also opens up a pair of roster spots for the team to convert Pat Spencer, who is playing on a two-way contract, and perhaps make another move to shore up their roster.
Jackson-Davis is gone, but it was a sacrifice towards a lofty gamble in Porzingis. Hopefully it pays off.