Getty Golden State Warriors forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. fires up a shot during a bout with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Much has been written and said about the Golden State Warriors potentially trading people — James Wiseman, anyone? — or wanting to trade for people — i.e. Myles Turner and Jakob Poeltl — to boost their title chances. However, there has been far less discussion about Dubs players holding appeal as targets for other teams.
Of course, everybody wishes Stephen Curry was leading their offense, and Draymond Green has been linked to the LA Lakers and his hometown Detroit Pistons by pundits, but Golden State definitely has other commodities worth keeping an eye on as February’s trade deadline nears.
In a round-up of potential trade targets for all 30 NBA teams, Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley linked Warriors players to more than one club. Perhaps more interesting, though, is the fact that he listed one club as being a possible suitor for not one but two of the team’s youngsters.
That club: the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have made a name for themselves as asset accumulators in the wake of Paul George’s exit three years ago.
B/R: OKC Could Pursue Wiseman & PBJ
While the Warriors committed to a dual-timeline roster last season — and there was a thought that some of the team’s youngsters could actually begin to contribute in 2022-23 — things haven’t exactly played out as anyone in the Bay had hoped.
As such, Buckley can envision a scenario in which the Dubs deal, and he sees former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman and 2022 first-rounder Patrick Baldwin Jr. holding appeal for the Thunder.
“Golden State has determined their growing pains are deal-breakers, but OKC can live with some subpar results in the pursuit of a better process,” Buckley wrote. “There aren’t many players who can match Wiseman’s size-skill-athleticism combo, and Baldwin stands out as a 6’9″ forward with handles and a smooth shooting stroke.”
It was noted that OKC has progressed since it first tipped off its own youth movement with the George deal, but that the club nonetheless remains in asset accumulation and development mode.
“The Thunder are as frisky as they’ve been during their lengthy rebuilding project, but they aren’t quite ready to splurge on a timeline accelerator,” Buckey added. “Instead, they can stay on the slow-and-steady path to contention by focusing on player development and probing for any distressed assets.”
Wiseman is averaging 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game for Golden State this season. As for Baldwin, the young rookie has only made five appearances for the Dubs in ’22-23, averaging 3.2 PPG.
More recently, they’ve been doing their thing in the G League and, well…
OKC Had a Front-Row Seat for a Recent Outburst
Aside from being a blue-chipper who the Warriors’ owner once compared to Joel Embiid, there may be other reasons for the Thunder to be kicking the tires on Wiseman. Specifically, he just lit up their G League affiliate in Showcase Cup competition (and Baldwin was right there with him).
Seeing is believing, right?
In 29 minutes against the Oklahoma City Blue on December 11, Wiseman dropped 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting, adding 16 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists for good measure.
Baldwin, meanwhile, chipped in with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting (and 6-of-9 from three-point range. He also contributed six rebounds to the 122-111 Sea Dubs victory.