Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors haven’t exactly looked like defending champions this season. Their mediocre 24-24 record has them sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference. If Golden State wants to spark a mid-season turnaround, then the best way to go about it may be via trade.
The February 9 NBA Trade Deadline is less than a month away, which means time is running out for the Dubs to make a splash.
In a January 26 article for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus broke down trade possibilities surrounding some of the NBA’s most coveted wings.
Pincus shared one anonymous executive’s take that the Warriors should trade Draymond Green to the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam.
“One executive suggested the Warriors give up their younger players (James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and/or Moses Moody) along with Draymond Green to the Raptors for Siakam and others,” he wrote.
The 28-year-old has earned All-NBA honors twice in his career, being named to the second team in 2019-20 and to the third team in 2021-22. He could do so again this season, as he’s putting together what could be the best year of his career. Siakam has appeared in 39 of Toronto’s 49 games, playing about 37.6 minutes each time. He’s averaging a career-high in both points, at 25.2 per game, and assists, at 6.5 per game, while pulling down 8.3 rebounds per game.
‘Pretty Strong’ Chance Draymond Green Leaves Warriors: Source
Despite Green being a key piece to all four of Golden State’s recent NBA championship teams, the franchise could have good reason to move him ahead of the deadline this year.
According to sources who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports in December, the chances that Draymond Green leaves the Dubs when his contract expires are “pretty strong.”
“Pretty strong,” a Western Conference executive said of Green’s chances to leave the Warriors. “If they win a championship again this year, there will be pressure to keep things together, but the stuff with the punch [on Jordan Poole] in the preseason, that probably put the nail in it. There was already a good chance he would go just because his production is not what it was and he is getting older [32]. It would be hard to justify paying him $20-something-million a year.”
If Green is on the way out, then it would make sense for the Dubs to try and at least get something in return for him instead of just letting him walk.
Bob Myers Could Leave Warriors: Report
The 32-year-old forward isn’t the only key piece of the Warriors’ success that could be gone at this time next year.
According to a recent report from the Athletic, it sounds as if Golden State may lose its general manager over the summer.
On January 25, Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick published a story that hinted at a possible exit from Bob Myers when his contract expires in July.
“As the clock ticks and extension talks remain flat, many around Myers are wondering whether – and even predicting that – his days with the Warriors are about to run out,” the group wrote. “For all the nuance that surrounds the situation, this much is clear: team and league sources, who like all of the sources in this story were granted anonymity so they could speak freely, say Myers believes he should be among the highest-paid front office executives in the league, if not the highest. He’s been the architect of four NBA title teams, was the lead recruiter in the Durant free agency signing, and has been the trusted conduit between players, coaches and ownership.”
If the Dubs’ GM did decide to explore a new challenge this summer, it sounds like he’d have no shortage of opportunities elsewhere.
“According to sources close to the situation, Washington (Wizards), Phoenix (Suns), and New York (Knicks) are all worth monitoring as possibilities,” The Athletic reported. “Meanwhile, the recent focus in front office circles, where Myers’ situation has become a hot topic, is on the (Los Angeles) Clippers. They have the richest owner in all of professional sports in Steve Ballmer, the 66-year-old former Microsoft CEO with an $83 billion net worth who has taken the blank-check approach to his title pursuit since buying the team in 2014.”