Five wings Warriors should target when using trade exception
The $17.2 million trade exception is the Warriors' best option to add an impact player. Monte Poole looks at five wings the Warriors could target with the gift Andre Iguodala left them.
Editor's note: This story originally was published on Oct. 14.
The quickest route for the Warriors to add an impact player this offseason is by using the $17.2-million gift Andre Iguodala left behind. Using this traded-player exception will be costly, but letting it lapse would run counter to the ambitions of this franchise.
The CEO is, after all, ambitious Joe Lacob. If spending means winning, and it often does in the NBA, bet on the wallet opening.
We know the Warriors love starting guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. And, to hear them tell it, they really like starting forwards Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. They’re evaluating the free-agent market and the draft for versatile wings and centers to decipher how best to allocate the funds.
Given the severe need for wings, switchable on defense and a 3-point threat on the other end, it’s logical to direct the TPE there and search for a big man with the veteran’s minimum or the taxpayer midlevel exception, just south of $6 million.
The Warriors need not spend the entire $17.2 mil TPE, but they cannot exceed it. They also can strike a deal for less than that or even add two players at or below that amount.
Here are five candidates, in alphabetical order, worth considering in swaps almost certain to involve their No. 2 overall pick.
PROS: He’s 29 years old, 6-foot-6, with a 6-9 wingspan and has a history of making deep shots (a career 38.5-percent shooter from range). He’s cheap, due to earn $4.2 million on an expiring contract with the New York Knicks.
A deal is plausible because the Warriors are willing to move back from No. 2 in the draft next month and the Knicks open to moving up from No. 8.
CONS: For a North Carolina product, he’s only an average wing defender and would have to get better. He’s coming off a poor offensive season, but that was in the wake of surgery for a herniated disc that cost him the first nine weeks. That and rust, along with being in New York, might be factors in him shooting only 33.3 percent from deep.
PROS: At 6-6, 190, he’s a very good defender, at times spectacular in Denver. A career 34.7-percent shooter from deep, he was draining at a 37.5-percent clip before being sidelined with a knee injury. If his knee is fine, it’s a potential double win insofar as the Warriors would be adding a player who has hurt them -- and pulling him from a Western Conference contender.
CONS: Is his right knee, which sidelined him in the bubble, OK? Barton is costly, set to earn $13.7 million next season and $14.7 mil in 2021-22, making it a bit of a reach. Nuggets coach Michael Malone is a big fan, but he must acknowledge Jerami Grant’s play allowed them to make a strong postseason run without their starting small forward. The Warriors also took notice of that.
PROS: He’s actually a two-fer with Bullock, with $8 mil left on his expiring Knicks deal. At 6-4, 205, with a 6-7 wingspan, Ellington is known for offense, shooting better than 40 percent from distance in eight of his 11 seasons and at 37.8 for his career. He is in the “designated shooter” phase, and the Warriors could use one off the bench. Again, the Warriors can save money with a swap of draft-picks.
CONS: He will be 33 in November and is, on his best day, an average defender. Though there is no outright condemnation of his character, he has been traded six times and played for nine different teams. In short, the Warriors would be wise to do the kind of homework on him that they did on Shaun Livingston six years ago.
PROS: Since tearing his left Achilles’ tendon in 2017, he has made a beautiful recovery. Not as explosive as he once was but still has above-average athleticism. At 6-8, 230, with a 7-3 wingspan, he’s able to play big or small, depending on opposition personnel. The widely respected veteran has averaged double figures in scoring average in each of his 14 seasons.
CONS: After shooting a career-high 40.2 beyond the arc two years ago, he dropped to 33.6 last season and is a 34.7 for his career. He’s not an exceptional defender, but he’s solid enough on that end to stay out of Gregg Popovich’s doghouse in San Antonio. He’s 34 and would eat up most of the TPE with an expiring contract worth $14 million.
PROS: Great physical gifts. He’s 24, passionate and athletic. At 6-7, 205, with a 7-3 wingspan, Oubre is a very good defender. He’s also a terrific slasher, excelling in transition. His scoring has risen in each of the last three seasons, to 18.7 last season. Phoenix was 8-0 without him in the bubble, so he might be expendable in a deal involving a swap of draft picks. The Suns pick No. 10 overall.
CONS: His $14.4 mil expiring contract is significant. His 3-ball is iffy but it’s also improving, from 28.7 percent in his second season to 35.2 last season. There is caution in knowing his passion sometimes goes over the edge. In five seasons, he has been suspended once and fined four times, including for his part in an October 2017 scuffle with the Warriors.
