The Warriors sent James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons and brought back fan favorite Gary Payton II in an ensuing deal with the Portland Trail Blazers on a busy NBA trade deadline day.
The Warriors made two notable moves before the 12 p.m. PT NBA trade deadline Thursday, but they reportedly attempted to make a blockbuster deal that ultimately never came to fruition.
The San Francisco Chronicle's C.J. Holmes reported shortly after the deadline that the Warriors "made a hard push" to acquire forward OG Anunoby from the Raptors, but weren't willing to meet Toronto's asking price, which reportedly included Jonathan Kuminga, among other assets
Roughly 45 minutes before the trade deadline, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the Warriors were among Western Conference teams trying to make a deal for Anunoby.
"OG Anunoby has gotten a lot of interest around the league and one team that has emerged as a pretty serious contender for OG Anunoby in the last several days are the Golden State Warriors," Charania reported for FanDuel. "They have really been interested in OG Anunoby and trying to see if there's a pathway toward a deal. But there are other Western Conference contenders that have been talking about OG Anunoby, including the Grizzlies as well as the New Orleans Pelicans."
A potential move for Anunoby would have been the culmination of a busy day for the Warriors as they traded former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons as part of a three-team deal that included the Atlanta Hawks.
The Warriors acquired Saddiq Bey in the trade and flipped him to the Hawks for five second-round draft picks. Golden State also received guard Kevin Knox from Detroit in the deal.
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Warriors' president of basketball operations Bob Myers then took Knox and the five second-round draft picks and sent them to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Payton II, who rejoins Golden State after winning an NBA title in the Bay Area last season.
Anunoby, who was one of the marquee players available on the trade market, might have been the Warriors' missing piece as they look to defend their NBA championship. The arms race in the Western Conference intensified this week with the Dallas Mavericks acquiring Kyrie Irving and the Phoenix Suns reportedly trading for two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. The Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers also made noteworthy moves as they push for the playoffs.
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Anunoby, 25, is averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 45 games this season. He's shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from 3-point range.
In the end, the Warriors and Raptors weren't able to find common ground, but Golden State still managed to improve the roster for the stretch run as they try to make the NBA playoffs and avoid the play-in tournament.