Golden State Warriors Rumors: Ray Allen, Amare Stoudemire, Etc.
After their win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors have clinched the best record in the NBA at the All-Star break. The NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching, and since the Warriors have a 42-9 record and have had such a successful season so far, it’s unlikely that they will make a significant trade.
Bob Myers to 95.7 The Game: "I do think it's going to take something pretty compelling to do a deal."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) February 11, 2015
Monte Poole of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area shared this information too:
"One veteran recently told me something he said came from the mouth Myers, essentially reminding everyone there is no sound reason to run out and make changes and that the Warriors should improve simply by continuing to play together and by getting and staying healthy."
However, it is still possible that the Warriors could sign a free agent to add some more depth or possibly even try to pick up a bought out or waived player, if they fill a particular need.
Bob Myers to 95.7 The Game on adding a bought-out player: "We’ll weigh it and evaluate it."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) February 11, 2015
The Warriors have been connected to a few players throughout this season, including Ray Allen and Jermaine O’Neal, who are both currently free agents.
Allen has announced that he will make his decision on which team he’ll sign with after the All-Star break. He is reportedly choosing between signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors, the Atlanta Hawks, the Washington Wizards, the Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors probably only have about a 10 percent chance of signing him, and it seems like Allen will choose the Cavs.
However, that might be fine with the Warriors if Allen chooses to sign with a different team.
Bob Myers to 95.7 on Ray Allen: "We're not banging down his door and asking him to go to dinner...We'll wait to see if we hear anything."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) February 11, 2015
The Warriors don’t really need Allen with the emergence of Justin Holiday, the recent production of Leandro Barbosa, and the extra depth that Brandon Rush adds. Add in solid veterans like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, and the Warriors actually have plenty of backcourt depth. However, Allen would certainly be welcomed if he chooses the Warriors, as he is an NBA champion and one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history.
There haven’t been many updates on O’Neal recently, but according to Dallas Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko, the Mavericks are “pretty sure” that O’Neal wants to sign with them and it’s just a matter of when he actually does. The Warriors might be out on O’Neal, but that also might be fine with them since Festus Ezeli is back and healthy. Marreese Speights and David Lee are also healthy too.
The Warriors have also been connected to two current NBA players: Amar’e Stoudemire and Kevin Garnett.
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Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group recently reported that if Stoudemire is bought out by the New York Knicks, then the Warriors could show some serious interest in signing him. One reason why is because Stoudemire has some connections to the Warriors, as he played for Warriors head assistant coach Alvin Gentry when he played for the Phoenix Suns, which was also during the time that Steve Kerr was the Suns’ GM.
Another reason why is because the Warriors could add some more depth at the power forward and center position. Stoudemire is labeled as an “injury prone” player, but he has shown that he can excel in a fast-paced system and provide some energy and scoring off the bench.
Zach Lowe of Grantland mentioned in a recent article that the Warriors could also be a potentially landing spot for Garnett and his expiring contract. Garnett has a no-trade clause, but he could also be a solid addition for a playoff team that could use a little more depth at the power forward and center positions, like the Warriors do, as previously mentioned.
Will the Warriors sign any of these players? Who do you think the Warriors should target at the trade deadline or later in the season? Let us know in the comment section below.