Getty Karl-Anthony Towns on the court in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors don’t need to make a trade, but they’ve got one in the bag if they want it.
The Dubs have been almost unbeatable through the early portion of the season, front running to a league-best record of 11-1 and winning their last seven games by double digits, the latter of which hasn’t been done in the NBA in four years. And the Dubs have accomplished all this without one minute of court time from Klay Thompson or James Wiseman, both of whom are likely to work their way into the starting lineup before season’s end.
Gary Payton II has shown up and shown out, locking down opposing guards and high-flying his way into viral Warriors’ highlight reels. Rookie Jonathan Kuminga is making monster strides by the game and figures to be a legitimate and consistent contributor sooner than later. Third-year offensive specialist Jordan Poole is filling in for Thompson as the starting shooting guard and has regularly been wet from deep in big moments, as he shoulders a large portion of the Dubs’ scoring load.
It may be Time to #FreeKAT From 7-Year Losing Stint in Minnesota
GettyMinnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
Things in Golden State are looking up, to say the least, but they can always get better. Enter NBA writer Zach Buckley, of Bleacher Report, who published an article on Saturday, November 13 detailing precisely how the Warriors front office can make that happen. His take starts with Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Karl-Anthony Towns may not publicly endorse the idea, but we will: #FreeKAT,” Buckley wrote. “This is his seventh season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and if their current six-game losing streak is any indication, it will be his sixth without a playoff trip.”
Towns spoke to his frustrations following a 13-point defeat at the hands of Steph Curry and the Warriors on Wednesday night, November 10.
“Just want to win. I can’t elaborate too much on that,” Towns said, per Chris Hine of the Star Tribune. “I just want to win.”
Buckley, who referenced the above quote directly in his piece that ran Saturday, said the best place for Towns to do that winning is in the Bay Area.
“The Warriors could make that happen, provided that putting Towns in the same offense as Stephen Curry and a (hopefully) healthy Klay Thompson wouldn’t open up some sort of black hole in the basketball universe,” Buckley wrote. “Golden State would instantly have super-spacing, even if it filled out its closing five with Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.”
Buckley added that if the Warriors are playing smart and playing to win now, they need to maximize the back end of Curry’s prime. A great way to do that, he contended, is to add Towns to the Dubs’ cast of supporting All-Star players.
“Some might argue that Golden State, the league leader with a [11-1] record, doesn’t need to swing this big, but doing anything other than fully investing in the remainder of Curry’s career would be a missed opportunity,” Buckley continued.
A Trade for KAT, or any Star, Would Cost Warriors’ Young Talent
GettyJames Wiseman dribbles the ball in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Making a trade for KAT, or any player of his caliber, would cost the Warriors a good portion of their young assets.
Ironically, the move would almost assuredly return Dubs’ forward Andrew Wiggins back to Minnesota, as his $30 million annual salary over the next two seasons would be a requirement to make the money work. Curry’s, Thompson’s or Green’s contracts could also suffice in this regard, but let’s be honest, none of those three guys are going anywhere.
James Wiseman, who suffered an MCL injury last season, had some growing pains. But the young prospect, entering just his second NBA season, has loads of raw talent and is considered by Buckley to be one of the top trade chips in the entire league.
Rookie and the 7th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Kuminga’s trade value is growing by the day. A week ago, he was playing big minutes for the Dubs’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. On Friday night, he was playing 16 minutes and putting up 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting with two vicious slam dunks to cap a Golden State rout of the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls.
Both Wiseman and Kuminga would likely have to be included in any potential trade for KAT, or any other player on that level. Any such deal may demand even more in return, for instance rookie and the No. 14 pick in this year’s draft Moses Moody.
Even still, the Warriors have arguably the best depth in the NBA. They could afford to part with both rising young stars, as well as Wiggins who has been a mainstay in the starting lineup and a consistent offensive contributor since arriving in Golden State.
The Dubs would still have a stable of young, complementary talent to supplement an opening and closing lineup with four multiple-time All-Stars. The last time the Warriors could boast such a lineup, the team’s current Big 3 plus Kevin Durant went to three consecutive NBA Finals, bringing home the hardware twice.
Not such a bad trade off, when you think about it, which is precisely why the Warriors should.