Quinten Post will want nothing more than to settle into a consistent role for the Golden State Warriors, and potentially as a full-time starter as his defensive growth continues to draw plaudits across the league.
However, the Warriors may not be fully settled on moving forward with Post and veteran center Al Horford, at least according to the latest trade reports linking the franchise to Milwaukee Bucks big man Myles Turner.
Warriors linked to Myles Turner as potential starting center
If Giannis Antetokounmpo is moved in a blockbuster trade prior to the February deadline, that could have quick ramifications on Turner and other Milwaukee veterans who could find themselves dealt elsewhere.
In a report on Tuesday, NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line mentioned Turner as a potential target for Golden State using Jonathan Kuminga's contract, along with referencing the franchise's interest in the 29-year-old center.
"An interesting potential salary match for Golden State in Kuminga's salary range would be Bucks center Myles Turner, who's earning $25.1 million this season. Don't forget that the Warriors have shown some real interest in Turner in the past, according to league sources, dating to well-chronicled trade discussions between Golden State and Indiana that included various concepts involving Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield," Fischer wrote.
The question to this quickly becomes whether the Warriors need to use Kuminga and other pieces to invest in Turner who is just starting out on a four-year, $108.9 million contract, or whether they simply need to invest more in Post as their starting center going forward?
Turner is undoubtedly the more proven and experienced player, but the per 36 numbers of both players this season are incredibly similar. Turner averages 0.6 points more, yet Post averages more rebounds and assists. Turner is far more of a shot-blocker, but the numbers would suggest Post has actually been a better defender this season.
Line them up right now and 30 out of 30 teams would pick Turner if the contract was irrelevant. Unfortunately that's now how it works, and you could make the argument Post is more valuable if he can sustain his recent form that included restricting All-Star big man Evan Mobley to just 4-of-12 shooting on Saturday, before completely outplaying 2x All-Star Nikola Vucevic 24 hours later.
What happens to Post and Horford if Golden State were to trade for Turner? There's no concrete evidence yet to suggest that Steve Kerr is comfortable with Post as a legitimate starting center, but this period before Kuminga becomes trade eligible is a vitally important and valuable one to see if the second-year big man is up to the challenge, or whether a reinforcement like Turner is required.