Getty Karl-Anthony Towns plays defense in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are off to a league-best 15-2 start and still have room to improve with the return of Klay Thompson, but one proposal finds a way to add yet another All-Star to the already loaded roster.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz broke down the “most tradeable” players on every team, projecting that the Warriors could snag one of those players from a team perpetually stuck in the Western Conference basement — if they’re willing to give up their most promising young stars in return.
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Warriors Land Timberwolves Star
When it came to finding a trade piece for the Timberwolves, Swartz noted that All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, for all his talent, has not been able to make Minnesota a contender. The team may want instead to build around Anthony Edwards, making Towns expendable if the price is right.
“Edwards has a chance to be a generational talent and should be the new focal point of the Wolves, making Towns available for the right price,” he wrote.
Karl-Anthony Towns nasty dunk in transition
The Warriors, Swartz noted, could be a good fit if they are willing to give up some of their young and talented players in order to land Towns. That would mean some combination of second-year center James Wiseman and rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
When it came to the Warriors, Swartz identified guard Jordan Poole as the most tradeable player, predicting that Golden State may need to make a decision on his future after Thompson returns.
Warriors Likely Staying Put
Though Golden State has been surrounded by trade rumors for close to a year, with some insiders speculating whether the team will unload some of its young assets to land an immediate impact player and aim for another title run during Steph Curry’s prime, the team appears likely to stay put. Speaking to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Golden State owner Joe Lacob hinted that the team will not be making any changes and will be working to develop those young players to stay in title contention for years to come.
“First of all, this is the only path,” Lacob said. “There is no other path. I don’t really understand what people are talking about. We have the highest payroll in the history of the NBA by a longshot. So we are all-in. But I believe, we believe — our coaching staff and our basketball operations staff — the great teams have a combination of types of talent. You want to be able to play different ways. You want to have young players that are developing and you want to have the great ones that are already there.”
Others within the organization see the same path. Earlier this week, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the development of No. 7 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga reminds him of Kawhi Leonard during his first few years with the San Antonio Spurs. At the time, the Spurs were led by the trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, which allowed the team to develop Leonard more slowly and deliberately. As he grew and improved, Leonard eventually shouldered a bigger load, Kerr noted.
Forget the future — Jonathan Kuminga looks ready to bolster the Warriors’ rotation right now (via @MontePooleNBCS)
The Warriors coach said Kuminga could be on a similar path.
“He’s not the focal point, but he can be part of it, without having to shoulder the responsibility of all of the decision-making,” Kerr said, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Then, when it comes times for him to make a decision or make a play, he’s just doing the simple thing. That’s a great sign for a young guy.”
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Blockbuster Proposal Sends 2x All-Star to Warriors for Young Stars