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Through the first 46 games of the 2022-23 season, the Golden State Warriors sit at just sixth place in the Western Conference with a record of 23-23. The Warriors have struggled to build any sort of momentum this year and don’t look to be on track to repeat as champions. That is, unless they bring in reinforcements ahead of the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline.
Luckily for Golden State, they have some intriguing young assets to use as leverage in potential trades. In particular, former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman.
Fox Sports’ Rich Bucher reported that the Warriors have been reaching out to teams around the league, weighing their interest in the big man.
“The Warriors, a league source said, have indicated in conversations with other teams that the development of third-year center James Wiseman is not aligning with their hopes of squeezing another championship from the core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green,” he wrote.
Bucher went on to say that an Eastern Conference general manager believes that Golden State not only feels as if Wiseman isn’t part of their championship goal, but that they’re holding back his development.
“The Warriors’ willingness to move Wiseman appears to be two-fold, an Eastern Conference GM said — he isn’t ready to help them win a title, and they feel they’re doing him a disservice because he needs playing time to develop,” Bucher explained.
He then pitched the Utah Jazz as a potential trade partner if the Warriors were to unload Wiseman.
“A deal with the Jazz would make sense for both sides except that Utah already has two young big men they like: Lauri Markkanen and rookie center Walker Kessler. I asked three scouts who they’d rather have, Wiseman or Kessler. Two of the three said Kessler. The third: “Kessler now, Wiseman in 2024,” his belief being that Wiseman has the greater upside,” he said.
Warriors Aiming to Land ‘Proven Player’ in Trade to Boost Title Hopes: Report
Wiseman wasn’t the only Warriors-related storyline that Bucher wrote about. He also went on to discuss the possibility of Golden State looking to land one or two more players to help their championship push.
“A sampling of GMs, scouts and front-office executives identified the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks as interested buyers on the trade market, looking to add a proven player — or two — to complement their star-studded core and improve their championship title chances in June,” he wrote.
Steve Kerr Speaks on Jordan Poole Exchange in Warriors Win
The Warriors January 20 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers left fans and social media talking about more than just the game.
At the end of the third quarter Jordan Poole was whistled for an offensive foul, and then, subsequently, a delay of game, after holding on to the basketball as he argued with the officials. The argument wound up costing the Warriors a point as they headed into the fourth quarter up just 12, which Head Coach Steve Kerr was not happy about. He laid into Poole from the sidelines, shouting some choice words at the young star.
After the win, Kerr shared some thoughts with the media about the heated exchange, explaining that he had just “snapped” in the moment.
“I’m going to stay on Jordan,” he said. “He’s continuing to grow and he’s getting better. I think the last two games, he was fantastic in terms of staying off the referees. He got the offensive foul and then held the ball as he talked to the ref, and that was a delay of game. So I’m trying to get Jordan to the point where he understands every play counts and every moment counts. So, every once in a while, I snap and I snapped in that moment and he looked at me like I was nuts. But it’s all part of it. I love Jordan and I love the way he’s playing and he was incredible tonight.”
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