Warriors: Highly anticipated trade deadline week begins
By Dalton Sell
The Golden State Warriors have been a team surrounded in trade speculation this entire season, and with the deadline approaching, they will likely be busy.
It is no secret that the Golden State Warriors have been a team surrounded in trade speculation this entire season.
With the trade deadline set to arrive this coming Thursday, the team is likely going to be very active in hopes of building for the future and preparing to leap back into contention when healthy.
This season has been an unfamiliar one for the Warriors as they currently stand at the bottom of the Western Conference. After a five-year run of dominance and three NBA titles under their belt, the team has had a season they’d like to put behind them.
Although they have an abysmal 11-39 record, the team has several players that have been drawing interest from a variety of organizations. Most notably is D’Angelo Russell, the star guard Golden State acquired this offseason for Kevin Durant in a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
The team showing the most interest is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have publicly made it clear they have been making a push for Russell all season, but have not got anywhere.
The guard is good friends with Timberwolves’ star Karl-Anthony Towns, and the two have stated they have a desire to be teammates at some point.
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Although it appeared as if the Warriors were going to hang on to Russell until seeing how he fits alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, recent reports suggest otherwise. Marc Stein reports that “they are listening to pitches” for Russell.
This could be a ploy to see what kind of value the 23-year-old All-Star has on the trade market if they decide to trade him eventually, but it is uncertain at this moment. Minnesota has reportedly offered Andrew Wiggins in talks for Russell, but his massive contract remains an unlikely fit.
Bleacher Report has recently reported that the New York Knicks are interested in acquiring Russell as well ahead of the deadline. Forward Bobby Portis and former lottery pick Frank Ntilikina have been mentioned in talks, and the Knicks are likely going to make an aggressive pitch.
If they are not offered a massive haul to their liking of Russell, the Warriors would likely hang onto him until at least the offseason.
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Marc Stein also reports that Golden State is “widely expected to trade Alec Burks and/or Glenn Robinson III this week” as both have been drawing serious interest. Both are having career years on the offensive end, and they should be highly sought after.
Burks is averaging 15.8 points per game, a career-best. The shooting guard has been able to rejuvenate his career with this Golden State team after bouncing around the league the past two seasons.
With his value high right now, trading him could be very understandable if the compensation is reasonable.
Glenn Robinson III is currently averaging 12.7 points, his only year averaging double-digit scoring throughout his career.
In his seventh NBA season, he is also averaging 39.8 percent from deep, the second-most in his tenure, which is something plenty of teams are searching for. The 26-year-old has also been an improved defensive player, only increasing his value.
These two are the perfect trade targets for contending teams looking for a lethal scorer to bolster their offense.
Both players are also on veteran minimum deals, making them very affordable options for nearly every organization, which makes it understandable the team may look to flip them.
Next. Warriors: One team persistent on a D’Angelo Russell trade. dark
Only time will tell which deals will happen and which are just speculation filled, but things are shaping up to be very interesting before this Thursday’s deadline.