Sitting 12th in the Western Conference and with a 19-24 record, things are starting to get desperate for the Golden State Warriors — and it could even spell the end of the team’s ‘Big Three’.
That is according to The Athletic’s NBA insider Shams Charania, who again on Tuesday reiterated that “everyone is on the table” ahead of the trade deadline outside of Steph Curry.
While that may be the case, Charania did single out Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Poziemski as two young pieces the Warriors are “high on” and “want to keep long term”.
“They view [them] as part of their core moving forward,” he said on FanDuel’s ‘Run It Back’.
That is consistent with reporting from The Athletic’s Golden State beat reporter Marcus Thompson II, who wrote on Tuesday that multiple team sources believe the Warriors “have no plans” to trade Kuminga “and never did”.
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“Assuredly, his stock is rising with the NBA trade deadline two weeks away,” Thompson II added.
“But Kuminga can’t be considered a sweetener. He’s not some add-on. He is a foundational piece. Nothing in this trade market suggests a worthy return is out there.”
While Golden State is clearly approaching this year’s deadline with an eye towards protecting core pieces of its future, that doesn’t mean the Warriors won’t try make some win-now moves too.
After all, when you have a player of Curry’s calibre you are always going to be competitive in most games.
But could that mean breaking up the ‘Big Three’ that once was the foundation of Golden State’s success. It is no guarantee but it is not off the cards either according to Charania.
“They’re going to take calls on Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, and could they get interest on a guy even like Klay Thompson? I think those are very much open conversations for the Warriors,” Charania said on Tuesday.
“They have to be open-minded. This is a team that’s five games under 500, in that 12th spot. So we’ll see if there’s going to be any moves over the next 10 days.”
‘LATEST HOLDUP’ IN LAKERS’ BID FOR ‘TOP’ TRADE TARGET
While the Warriors are heading in the wrong direction ahead of the deadline, the Lakers have won five of their last seven games to move up to ninth in the Western Conference.
The Lakers are still a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline though and Hawks guard Dejounte Murray remains the team’s “top priority” according to beat reporter Jovan Buha.
As for who the Lakers would be willing to give up as the centrepiece of a potential deal for Murray, that is the biggest question mark at this point.
D’Angelo Russell was the obvious candidate earlier this month, although multiple reports suggested the Hawks were more interested in Austin Reaves instead.
However, Russell’s recent form could also give Los Angeles pause in trading him given the 27-year-old has now averaged 25.0 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 51.8 per cent from deep in his past 10 games.
Buha reported that the “latest holdup” in a Murray trade is Atlanta asking for Reaves instead of Russell, which he writes remains a “nonstarter” for the Lakers.
“In the event the Lakers acquire Murray, Russell will almost certainly be included,” Buha wrote.
Interestingly, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Tuesday that league sources told him Hawks coach Quin Snyder has “lobbied” for the organisation to keep Murray.
It comes after Stein wrote on Monday that he had heard there had been “little-to-no trade dialogue in recent days between the Hawks and the Lakers” regarding the former All-Star.
In fact, one source said the idea of Murray landing with the Lakers before the deadline was “unrealistic”.
Stein referenced Russell’s recent form as a factor in that, reporting that initially the Lakers were said to be “willing” to package the point guard with a 2029 first-round pick and first-round pick swap in exchange for Murray. He too added Reaves was “completely off limits” at that point.
“That pursuit appears to have been dialled back some with Russell playing so well,” added Stein.
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TWO HORNETS VETERANS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
So, what about teams that could be sellers before the deadline?
Well, Stein also wrote in his latest Substack that league sources believe the Charlotte Hornets are “actively trying to re-trade” the recently acquired Kyle Lowry and “construct a Gordon Hayward deal”.
Lowry was sent to Charlotte as part of trade that saw Terry Rozier head to Miami and given the position the rebuilding Hornets find themselves in it was always expected that they would at least try to trade the veteran guard.
Hayward, meanwhile, has been sidelined since late December with a left calf strain but was the subject of trade speculation before then with reports playoff-calibre teams were inquiring about his availability.
There is also the possibility both players could be buyout candidates, although Stein reported it would be “premature” to assume both would head in that direction if not traded.
“A buyout can certainly be considered likely when it comes to Lowry,” Stein wrote.
“I’m told that Philadelphia is among the teams that would indeed have interest in Lowry, who turns 38 in March, if he negotiates a settlement with the Hornets on what’s left of his expiring $29.7 million salary.
“Hayward, however, is a different story. Sources say that Hayward is far less likely than Lowry to seek a buyout in the event Charlotte is unsuccessful in trading him.
“Hayward, who turns 34 in March, is earning $31.5 million this season in the last chapter of his four-year, $120 million contract and would forfeit his Bird Rights in a buyout.”
COULD BULLS PULL A MOVE FOR LAVINE?
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls are another potential seller to keep a close eye on ahead of the deadline, with Zach LaVine the biggest name that could be moved.
While LaVine could be the final piece to help raise the ceiling of a playoff contender it is actually the rebuilding Detroit Pistons that have been most heavily linked to him as of late.
The Athletic’s Pistons beat writer James Edwards III wrote on Tuesday that Chicago and Detroit have had “conversations involving LaVine” according to league sources.
He reported that the Bulls look to be targeting a package of “Bojan Bogdanović and one of Detroit’s blue-chippers” for LaVine.
For reference, those “blue-chippers” include Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson and Edwards III reported that the feeling among league sources is that the Pistons have “no interest” in trading any of those four young players in the “immediate future”.
Conversations between the two parties will continue and there is still a chance that the Pistons make a move for LaVine if there is not much competition for him, which could in turn push the Bulls to lower their asking price.
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