The Golden State Warriors made a splash move at the trade deadline by acquiring Jimmy Butler III from the Miami Heat. Sinde then, the Warriors have been one of the hottest teams in the league and have won nine of their last 10 games.
Mock trade has the Warriors landing Jakob Poeltl
However, they still need depth in certain areas, particularly in the frontcourt. While Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis have shown the potential to be impactful pieces long-term, they need more size and an established veteran down low to pair with Draymond Green in the frontcourt.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a mock trade for the Warriors to do in the offseason where they would send promising guard Mosey Moody along with Buddy Hield for Toronto Raptors big man Jakob Poeltl.
“With a core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga (restricted free agent) and Brandin Podziemski in place, the Warriors could use some more size in the middle,” Swartz wrote. “Poeltl is averaging 14.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks on 61.2 percent shooting overall this season. He’d be the perfect dirty-work player for a Golden State team that features plenty of scoring options.”
This trade could benefit both sides
Poeltl, who is listed at 7-0 and 245 pounds, would give the Warriors a much-needed interior presence. The 29-year-old is one of the more underrated bigs in the league who has shown to be impactful on both ends of the floor and is an efficient scorer.
Parting ways with Moody would be hard for Golden State, but given the surplus of guards and wings that they have on the roster, they must prioritize addressing the positions of need to build a great team around Curry and Butler. The 22-year-old is averaging 9.8 points per game this season and would provide the Raptors with another building block for their future.
The Warriors will surely be in the market for big men this offseason, and Poeltl could be a viable option for them to pursue. Golden State is rolling right now and will want to make their roster championship caliber for the time that they have Curry and Butler together.