Golden State Warriors Ended Trade Conversation About All-Star Guard

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The Golden State Warriors were one of the few NBA teams who many predicted could be a big player in the upcoming NBA’s trade deadline. With the Minnesota Timberwolves 2021 draft pick, their own 2021 draft pick, and the highly skilled rookie center James Wiseman, the team has a number of assets they could trade to improve their team.

Yet while that’s great to discuss in theory, in practice, it’s been reported that the Warriors are not looking to part with some of those assets. Either one of them alone, or a combination of them, could land them a very big star. However, when it was discussed it became the reason Golden State turned away.

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Houston Rockets Discussed Warriors Assets in Big Trade

GettyVictor Oladipo #7 of the Houston Rockets in action during a game against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center on January 26, 2021 in Houston, Texas.

The Houston Rockets have had a regular season’s worth of headlines. Prior to the season, two former MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook both requested trades from the organization. As a result of the eventual trades and their new-look roster, the team was playing relatively well.

However, they’ve lost now 29 games this season and just lost their 19th in a row. As a way to help fix their situation, the Rockets discussed a potential trade package with the Golden State Warriors. It would include their current guard, and former All-Star, Victor Oladipo, and some of the Warriors’ previously mentioned assets.

That, according to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau, is where the Warriors decided to draw the line.

“The Rockets would want one of the Warriors’ top assets, the 2021 pick from Minnesota or [James] Wiseman, both of which are conversation-enders for Golden State,” Letourneau stated in his article.

Is Oladipo Worth The Rockets Asking Price?

GettySteve Kerr talks to James Wiseman during a game against the Indiana Pacers.

Currently, the former champions are 22-21 on the season and that largely has been due to the MVP type of play from two-time MVP Steph Curry and a tremendous defensive effort from Draymond Green. Until this past week, the Warriors had a great chance of continuing on to fight for a playoff spot.

With Curry injuring his tailbone in the Warriors’ last game against the Houston Rockets and Green rolling his ankle against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors are in a situation that is eerily similar to last season. Having all three of their stars, Thompson then recovering from his knee injury, out for large stretches resulted in a team record of 15-50.

It begs the question, should the Warriors in fact pull off the trade? The team was able to put up a good fight against the Grizzlies but missing their two leading stars made all of the difference.

That ultimately comes down to what path the Warriors choose moving forward. They could decide to depart from one of their assets, and a player or two, trade for Oladipo and he help save their season.

Or, the team could decide to prioritize their young players. Take the most amount of time to heal both Curry and Green, allow players like Wiseman, guard Jordan Poole, and second-round pick Nico Mannion to find their stride and play through mistakes.

If the Warriors take the former option it could help to bolster their roster with high-quality guards at the beginning of next season to extend their championship window in the immediate future. Taking the latter option may result in a less impressive season right now but, could pay off handsomely if both draft picks are of high quality. Adding Thompson back into their lineup next season with a more experienced Wiseman and two more draft picks could be the key to extending the careers of their big three.

As the trade deadline nears, we’ll ultimately see what path the Warriors choose.

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