Getty Bradley Beal reacts to a play in a game against the Houston Rockets.
The Golden State Warriors appear to have few holes in their roster and still have the added boost of Klay Thompson coming later this season, but one insider believes the team could still pull off a long-rumored trade for an All-NBA guard should the opportunity arise.
The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami broke down the factors that have gone into the league-best 10-1 start for the Warriors, making note of the NBA-best defensive rating and MVP-caliber play from guard Steph Curry. But Kawakami also suggested that the roster could still improve, pointing to Bradley Beal as a potential addition.
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Building a Title-Worthy Roster
Though the Warriors already appear to be a strong contender to win the Western Conference, Kawakami wrote that the team has some valuable young assets that could become trade bait to make the roster even stronger. He noted that the team would likely be receptive to talks if the Washington Wizards finally follow through on the rumored move to trade Beal, but only if the deal makes sense.
“But the Warriors won’t be desperate about this. They don’t have to be. Yes, things were building up a bit after messing around with a Curry prime year last season; they’re not wasting anything currently,” he wrote. “They have a lot of very good players. They have Wiseman and Klay coming. They can wait a season or more for Kuminga and Moody or they can see if a three-for-one deal including one or two of their prospects might land Beal or any other prime-time veteran.”
There have long been rumors connecting the Warriors to Beal, including a suggestion last month from Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes that Golden State could land him in a three-way deal including the Toronto Raptors.
THIS IS WHAT HAVING A REAL COACH DOES
One of the first things Wes Unseld Jr. did upon arrival to DC was challenge Bradley Beal to be a better defender.
This possession, Beal gets multiple stops, forces a TO, and celebrates.
Guess who’s there celebrating just as hard as he is?
Beal finished second to Curry for the scoring title last season. This season, the Wizards guard is averaging 23.3 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Dubs Developing Rookies Slowly
With a roster that has veterans Gary Payton II, Nemanja Bjelica, Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala playing key roles as reserves, there has not been as much room in the rotation for lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Instead, head coach Steve Kerr has found some creative ways to get them more time on the court, including a rare double-header where both played in a preseason game with the G League Santa Cruz Warriors in the afternoon and suited up for the Golden State Warriors that night.
Kerr explained that he would try to find as many chances for both Kuminga and Moody to get onto the court as possible, which could mean more stints in the G League for both.
“There will be plenty of nights where we’re off and in town in the Bay, and Santa Cruz has a game, and there will be plenty of nights where our young guys will go down and play,” Kerr said on Monday, via USA Today’s Rookie Wire.
Though the Warriors may be taking a slow approach with both rookies, they have also not given any indication that either could be on the trade block.
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