NBA Trade Rumors: Warriors Gambling for Andrea Bargnani?

Oct 17, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani (7) during their game against the Washington Wizards at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Wizards 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Another trade rumor? Right now, the Warriors, if making any moves, are most likely to go with Eric Gordon, which would force them to move Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes. No, not a good deal, as I already said. Giving away two future stars for one, injury prone star isn’t a wise move. Now, however, according to the Toronto Sun, the Warriors are showing interest in the Raptors’ Andrea Bargnani.

The Toronto Raptors, who have been playing well as of late, have put Bargnani on the market. No deals, obviously, are official, but the Warriors may be trying to go for Bargnani.

Where will they put him? This deal almost surely involves Carl Landry, who’s David Lee’s backup. Landry, however, hasn’t been playing very well lately, and the Warriors may feel that he’s expendable with Andrew Bogut likely to start playing without restrictions in the second half, according to Ric Bucher. 

Other players that could be on the block are Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson. According a Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, several teams have checked in on Barnes, but  the Warriors haven’t expressed any intentions of trading him unless a massive deal comes along.

What the Warriors Could Be Giving Up:

Klay Thompson

An inconsistent shooter, who has the ability to go off occasionally. Be that as it may, Thompson is one of the biggest threats from the three-point line this season, and the Warriors are lucky to have him. Consistency has been a struggle for Thompson this season, but when he gets it going, he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA.

Harrison Barnes

A flat out scorer, who hustles, plays defense and doesn’t know how good he is. Right there, I see four positive things. When Barnes finally realizes that he can get to the basket with ease, he will be a huge threat. Barnes is an ideal scorer, and although he’s matching the production of Dorell Wright, his career is still young and Barnes isn’t even close to reaching full potential. In the Warriors’ offense, Barnes has a chance of becoming a superstar. Making a move right now wouldn’t be wise.

Carl Landry

This would be the biggest part of the deal.  Bargnani would likely backup Lee if the Warriors actually acquired him, as there really isn’t another spot for him. In Landry, the Warriors have a perfectly capable backup power forward, who is good enough to be a starter. Bargnani is quite the opposite with his battles with inconsistently. Still, he’d be a decent weapon off the bench.

Overall, there are some perks of acquiring Bargani, but there really isn’t any logic in making the trade. If the Warriors are already having good success with Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson as youngsters, think about the success they will have when they both reach full potential. It just doesn’t make sense.