Kristaps Porzingis' willingness to take a significant buyout should make a trade easier for the Golden State Warriors, but that only makes it more important for the front office to get the deal right as they start to make noise on the back of six-straight wins.
That's why the Warriors can't afford to take a blind bet on Myles Turner. While the veteran center is theoretically just the player Golden State need as a stretch big and rim protector, his value only stems from the idea that his form and impact will magically reappear in a new environment on a playoff contender.
Warriors can't afford to take blind bet on Myles Turner
Turner has been widely viewed as a potential target for the Warriors since news that the front office was exploring a Kristaps Porzingis trade last month. According to The Stein Line's Jake Fischer earlier in the week, Golden State aren't overly interested in taking Turner and the remainder of his contract unless they're the team being incentivized by draft capital.
That stance seems to have been vindicated given Turner's underwhelming form has continued into this season. That reached a new level on Friday night when the 30-year-old went scoreless against the Toronto Raptors, drawing even more criticism after missing all seven of his field-goal attempts including four from three-point range in the 121-107 defeat.
The obvious reality is that the current version of Turner -- the one we've seen since he signed a four-year, $108 million deal with the Bucks last year -- is not worth the Warriors acquiring him unless the draft capital outweighs taking on a bad contract and sacrificing cap space in free agency next year.
More importantly, Golden State might be one good move away from being a championship contender if Jimmy Butler returns in reasonable fashion, and if Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg continue their level of play.
Warriors need more reliability than what Myles Turner provides
The Warriors would surely desire a rotation player who can bring a level of consistency, rather than relying on someone simply turning up their effort level and subsequent impact because they're on a playoff team.
The idea of Turner suddenly finding his game at the Warriors has been an argument floated by some, but it's a theory more than anything else. It's also a flawed one considering he failed to reach expectations on a Bucks team that was at least trying to make the playoffs early last season.
Throw in the fact Golden State would likely need to move on from Moses Moody to make the money work, and it's a risky situation that simply doesn't have enough upside to prove worthwhile.
Add us as a preferred source on Google