The Los Angeles Lakers trading superstar power forward Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic sent ripples throughout the NBA that may have a major impact on the Golden State Warriors.
Both the Lakers (28-19) and Mavericks (26-23) are hovering in playoff contention at the moment. With four days left to make trades, the Warriors (24-24) may need to pull off a deal to climb out of their hole and keep up with their Western Conference competitors.
Warriors: Steve Kerr open to trade that betters team
Per CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently had this to say about his confidence in Golden State’s current roster and what management could do to potentially make things better:
“We do. I think we’ve shown that,” Kerr said. “But we’ve also shown that we don’t have enough to seperate ourselves form the rest of the West. So I think the point is we’re not in a position where we can just say, ‘Nah we’re good, let’s stand pat.’ That’s the reality of where we are.
“[Warriors general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] is doing his due diligence, he’s doing his job. If there’s something that makes sense, he’s going to do it. If not, then I’m very comfortable going forward with this team because I know what we’re capable of and I believe in the guys.”
Warriors have several trade options in front of them
Kerr’s optimism in his guys has merit. He still has two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry leading his charge. Around Curry is former 2022 All-Star Andrew Wiggins and former 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green. Yet, the Warriors need another elite scorer, as rising star Jonathan Kuminga is not quite there yet despite his strong play.
Golden State has been heavily linked to Chicago Bulls former All-Stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. They also have a shot at Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and could enter the mix for other marquee talents out there like Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans) and Bradley Beal (Phoenix Suns).
Ultimately, the Warriors are firm in their stance on not wanting to give up draft stock for a short-term improvement. Thus, expect the Dubs to make a move if it’s for a top-shelf talent they can keep around for the long haul, who has enough cache to help them move the needle in the title race.
