Given they've now lost 13 of their past 17 games, the Golden State Warriors are inevitably going to be linked to any star player that may be even remotely available prior to the February 6 trade deadline.
Jimmy Butler has been the star most prominently featured in Warriors trade reports over the past few weeks, though Miami Heat President Pat Riley did publicly refute any chance of his team trading the veteran forward.
Zion Williamson has been described as a logical fit for the Warriors
The speculation surrounding De'Aaron's Fox's future in Sacramento has also ignited some discussion on a potential fit in Golden State, but it's unlikely that the Kings move on from the 2023 All-Star unless he really pushes for it.
That leaves the Warriors in a tough spot in terms of trying to trade for an All-Star level player in the coming weeks. Perhaps their hopes could be rejuvenated by the latest on Zion Williamson, with Golden State linked to the injury-plagued star for the not the first time already this season.
"ESPN talked to two team executives at the recent G-League showcase in Orlando and both pointed to Golden State as a logical fit for Williamson," ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks reported on Tuesday.
Williamson's injury history makes a trade hazardous for any team, but as one executive told MacMahon and Marks, "some team might take the risk." The 24-year-old has played in just 190 total regular season games in this his sixth season, having missed at least 50 games in three of his first five years.
Williamson is currently dealing with a hamstring injury that's limited him to only six games so far this season, but he is expected to return in January which could be important to any potential trade prior to the deadline.
While the injury risk is significant, that could also make it an incredibly buy-low, high-upside move for Golden State or any other team. According to one executive, Williamson's value could sit at a late first-round pick and salary filler.
Where else are you going to get a young player who averages nearly 25 points on their career for that price? If the Warriors could get Williamson's body right (and it's a big if), then it could have significant franchise-altering impact that's felt for over a decade.
Williamson is currently in the second season of a five-year, $197.2 million extension, with the Warriors needing to match his $36.7 million salary in order to execute a trade prior to the deadline.