Mike Dunleavy Jr., general manager of the Warriors
The Warriors are playing better lately, at least marginally, with three wins in their last five games. But they’re still a 9-10 NBA team that clearly is not much better—and may be a tick worse—than last year’s outfit, which was 44-38, sixth in the West, and could not get past the Lakers in the second round. Little wonder, then, that Warriors trade rumor season is already upon us.
And Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey has a doozy to kick off December—a three-team trade that, the headline promises, will “save the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry Era.” We can debate, of course, whether the era needs saving, considering there have been four championships and six NBA Finals appearances.
But surely, Curry is still playing at a championship level and even in the final years of his career, new GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. wants him to play for a contender. This is how B/R is proposing to do that:
Warriors Receive: Pascal Siakam and Isaiah Hartenstein
Raptors Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, a 2024 first-round pick from New York, a 2028 first-round pick from New York and a 2028 first-round pick from Golden State
Knicks Receive: OG Anunoby, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II
Raptors Could Dump Free-Agent Stars
If you are the New York Knicks, this is the kind of Warriors trade rumor you can get behind. The Knicks would have to dump two first-rounders and Quentin Grimes, as well as the expiring deal of Evan Fournier. No problem there. The sting of those losses is more than offset by adding Anunoby, a 26-year-old two-way player who can defend the perimeter and shoot the 3. He is in the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract, but has a player option next summer.
And the Moody-Payton combo is nothing to scoff at either—both would have a chance to make the rotation with the Knicks, despite how heavy it is on guards.
To do a deal like this without having to give up R.J. Barrett or Immanuel Quickley would be a steal. And, frankly, to make a deal like this actually happen, you’d probably have to give up R.J. Barrett (instead of Fournier) or Immanuel Quickley. There’s just not enough of a return for Toronto to make this palatable. Add Barrett or Quickley, and that changes.
For the Warriors, the addition of Siakam, who is in the last year of a four-year, $137 million contract, would be huge. They really need a big, versatile forward who can score and defend—Siakam does not always defend, but he is capable of it, at least. Siakam will be a free agent, and he has struggled this season (20.0 points, 47.7% shooting, 19.8% 3-point shooting) but he could be in a more comfortable second-option role with Golden State.
Siakam a Perfect Target for Warriors Trade Rumors
Notably, the proposed deal does not touch the core Warriors, Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. But the Warriors would have to sell out—Wiggins was a valuable piece in winning the 2022 championship and the Moody/Kuminga duo still represents some semblance of the Dubs future. It’s a lot.
From the story:
“With the exception of Curry, much of the Warriors’ ‘light-years ahead’ era core has simply looked old this season. And because the organization’s time and energy were spent on helping them win a fourth title, Kuminga and Moody may not quite be ready to take the mantle from the core (although some numbers may suggest Moody is doing just that with Klay Thompson).
“This deal essentially admits the defeat of that philosophy by unloading both younger wings, Wiggins and Payton, but it would make the Warriors better in the short term.”
And considering how mediocre the Warriors have been this year, fixing things in the short term is not a bad idea.