Ranking Dubs' five best assets ahead of NBA trade deadline
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The Warriors are an intriguing team ahead of next week's NBA trade deadline. With a 20-20 record and the Western Conference's 9th seed, Golden State likely isn't a seller. But can the Warriors really be considered buyers, given their place in the standings and the money tied up in aging and/or injured veterans?No matter what the Warriors decide, Golden State has an intriguing mix of assets at its disposal. Between talented youngsters, valuable draft capital and an expensive -- yet moveable -- expiring contract, the Warriors have the ammunition to make a splash if they so choose.Here are the Warriors' five best trade assets ahead of the March 25 deadline, starting with a second-year pro beginning to break out.
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1/5
The 21-year-old didn’t crack the first iteration of this list, published well before his emergence in the G League bubble in Orlando, Fla. last month. Poole brought his renewed confidence back with him to the NBA, averaging 18 points -- on 55.3 percent shooting from the field and 42.3 percent on 3-pointers -- in his first four games with the Warriors.
That carries the necessary Small Sample Size caveat, of course, but Poole is a former first-round pick signed through 2022 with a very affordable club option ($3.9 million) that season. The way he’s playing, Poole wouldn’t be a throw-in or a makeweight in any potential deal, unlike first-round predecessors Damian Jones and Jacob Evans.
Yet Poole’s recent improvement also makes it unlikely the Warriors will part with him at the deadline, even as it has made him a far more appealing trade chip.
2/5
If the Warriors are going to pull off a true blockbuster ahead of the deadline, it’s difficult to envision them doing so without including a future first-round pick (or two). Golden State has its own first-round pick in 2022, 2023, 2025 and beyond. The Warriors only will have their own first-round pick this year if they don’t end the season with one of the league’s ten best records, as a condition of the Kelly Oubre Jr. trade.
That matters because the Warriors wouldn’t be able to trade picks in 2023 or 2025 under the NBA’s “Stepien rule.” If Golden State dealt its own 2022 first-round pick, then it could only trade its first-round pick in 2025 and after.
Keep in mind that Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and James Harden’s former teams all acquired at least two first-round picks in their respective trades. The Warriors can’t land a star without being prepared to do the same, and their cupboard is decently stocked for such an occasion. Other teams that haven’t previously traded a future first are better positioned, though.
3/5
Oubre wants to be a Warrior beyond the deadline, and he has become a key part of Golden State’s rotation over the last month-and-a-half. But with an expiring $14.375 million contract, the 25-year-old is in the precarious position of having arguably the most movable deal.
Whether the Warriors want to acquire a big name on a big contract, or if they’re trying to simply shed salary, it’s difficult to envision them making any significant deal without including the two-way wing. Golden State doesn’t have any empty roster spots as things currently stand, and none of the team’s other big contracts are as close to expiring.
Bob Myers told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Grant Liffmann earlier this month that the Warriors envision their future with Oubre in it, and the team would undoubtedly become worse if he’s traded for, say, a draft pick. Golden State probably can’t make the money work in a significant trade without including Oubre, though.
4/5
One of the main factors holding Minnesota’s top-three protected pick from being Golden State’s best trade asset is said trade protection. The 2021 class is loaded, and the Timberwolves currently have a 59.8 percent chance of picking No. 4 or No. 5 overall, due to their ownership of the NBA’s worst record.
That’s slightly better than Ben Simmons’ field-goal percentage (58 percent), but teams might not even settle for Steph Curry’s career free-throw percentage (90.7 percent). There’s still a chance the Timberwolves’ pick doesn’t convey to the Warriors, and it’s possible Minnesota isn’t in the cellar once again next season when the pick is unprotected.
Still, even if the Timberwolves immediately become a playoff team, a first-round pick will be valuable in 2022, which is supposed to be another deep draft. There’s a significant chance the pick conveys to the Warriors, though, and it will immediately become their most valuable trade asset if it does.
5/5
With all of that said, the 19-year-old Wiseman is the Warriors’ most valuable asset right now. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has had an up-and-down start to his NBA career, but his tantalizing potential can’t be denied.
Wiseman’s per-36 numbers are comparable to some of the league’s best big men, and his per-game averages -- 11.8 points and 6 rebounds -- are nothing to sneeze at, either. He’s a 7-footer who can run the floor and has knocked down 3-pointers at a credible 37.9 percent.
The Warriors reportedly won’t trade Wiseman unless it’s for a “generational” player, viewing him as the centerpiece of their core when Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are on the back nine of their careers. Can that timeline align in a way where Wiseman is, at least, a consistent contributor on a Curry-led team? If not, trading Wiseman probably is the surest way to add one.