Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns.
The Golden State Warriors‘ path to contention just got much tougher after the NBA suspended Draymond Green indefinitely.
The Ringer’s Michael Pina offered a solution to fix the Warriors’ mess with a star trade that could extend their championship window with Stephen Curry, who at 35, is still one of the NBA’s best players.
Pina’s trade proposal:
Warriors receive: Lauri Markkanen
Jazz receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, and two unprotected first-round picks
Fresh from his first All-Star berth, Markkanen is a legitimate 7-footer who can stretch the floor — the type of big man that Steve Kerr would love to have in his pace-and-space system.
Lauri Markkanen Raises Warriors Championship Ceiling
Pina believes a nine-man rotation of Curry, Markkanen, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Green, Kevon Looney, Chris Paul, Dario Saric, and rookie Brandin Podziemski can win the title for the Warriors this season.
“Curry—a once-in-several-lifetimes talent whose prime should be maximized at all costs—gets a sidekick and his most talented teammate since Kevin Durant left, a dangerous pick-and-roll partner who stretches the floor and was born to thrive in Kerr’s motion offense. Crucially, the Warriors also get a lot bigger. Markkanen is a legit seven feet tall and can coexist on both ends with two of Looney, Green, and Saric. These lineups would bring the snarl they’re lacking,” Pina wrote.
Not to mention Markkanen is on a value deal, with two years left in his $67.4 million, four-year deal including this season. The 7-foot Finnish player has a partially guaranteed $18 million salary for next season. It becomes fully guaranteed one day after the 2024 NBA Draft. It will be a no-brainer to guarantee that final season if the Warriors go all the way with him.
If the experiment implodes, Markkanen could become a valuable trade asset at next season’s trade deadline that could recoup the Warriors some draft capital or flip for another star to pair with Curry.
Klay Thompson Declined Short-Term Offer
Struggling Klay Thompson wanted the max extension last summer. But the Warriors only offered a short-term deal, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, which he did not take.
“I’m told that the Warriors offered a deal — two years in the range of $48 million in extension — to Klay Thompson before the season and now there’s no deal,” Charania said on the December 13 episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV. “We’re into the season. He’s gonna play it out. They’re gonna play it out and we saw [Tuesday] night Jonathan Kuminga played a lot. Brandin Podziemski played a lot.”
“Could this be, as much as we all want to see the Warriors and their [veterans] get a chance to ride this out to the sunset, we’re seeing two young players start to play more. And I think it’s interesting.”
Now, Thompson’s future at Golden State is in limbo following his struggles to start the season. If his rapid decline continues, there might not be a deal on the table for him in the offseason that would be commensurate to what the Warriors offered him last summer.