The Golden State Warriors might have interest in trading for Michael Porter Jr. before next month's mid-season deadline, but there's quite clearly only a certain point they're currently willing to go to for the Brooklyn Nets forward.
According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, and Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday, the Warriors aren't prepared to relinquish the sort of draft capital that will likely be required for the Nets to move on from Porter.
Warriors need to change their stance on Michael Porter Jr.
Golden State have long been protective of their first-round picks, both players they've taken in the form of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, and perhaps more notably now their future draft capital that figures to be incredibly valuable past the current Stephen Curry era.
Siegel reports that despite their obvious need for a third scorer like Porter who's having a career-best season in Brooklyn, the Warriors are not currently willing to trade more than one first-round pick for the 6'10" forward.
"Early signals from the Warriors are that they do not want to trade more than one first-round pick for Porter, especially since such a move would involve trading Kuminga and Moses Moody," Siegel wrote.
Golden State will almost assuredly need to change this stance if they're to acquire Porter before the deadline, something they need to do if they're to have any shot of competing against the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets come playoff time.
While the Warriors were desperate to make a move before the deadline last season, they were able to capitalize on Jimmy Butler's situation with the Miami Heat and subsequently acquired the 6x All-Star for just one top 10 protected first-round pick.
The Nets aren't in the same position the Heat were, which in turn reduces Golden State's leverage that's already limited given how the Kuminga situation has played out. There's few other options in Porter's class of player that appear obtainable in the coming weeks, particularly if the New Orleans Pelicans remain hesitant to move Trey Murphy III.
Of course, all first-round picks aren't created equal. This year's pick that appears likely to be outside the lottery is far different to one in 2032 when Curry is long retired. Nevertheless, actually prioritizing Curry by finding more to offer the Nets is something the Warriors simply must strongly consider to give themselves a chance of legitimate contention this season.