The Warriors and Rockets have been tabbed by scouts and executives as the two teams most likely to make a significant in-season trade, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Insider link). After big deals across the league dried up assets for most teams, not many have the combination of young players, draft picks and movable veterans that Golden State and Houston do.
Golden State has been at the center of several high-level trade rumors in the past few months, including for now-Sixers wing Paul George and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Brandin Podziemski, 2023’s No. 19 overall pick, was deemed untouchable specifically in talks for Markkanen, which led to the Warriors and Jazz being unable to reach an agreement on any trade. Podziemski spoke openly about the process to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“It was hard for me to process it mentally,” Podziemski said in an interview for the Hoop Collective podcast. “Everybody is hyping you up but at the same time tearing you down, like ‘Why didn’t we trade him? We should’ve traded him for X, Y, Z.’”
According to Windhorst, league executives are well aware that chairman Joe Lacob is a big fan of Podziemski’s and know that the price to acquire the Santa Clara product would be steep.
“You feel the respect and love from [GM] Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob and our front office and how much they value me after seeing just one year of what I could do,” Podziemski said. “And it’s not like I was being mentioned for another role player, these were All-Stars being talked about. … To see the Clippers and the Jazz to want me in return, it showed Golden State’s value for me to teams around the league.”
It’s unclear what kind of star players, if any, will be on the trade block this winter. As we wrote earlier Saturday, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson aren’t available right now, and likely wouldn’t be as part of any mid-season move in any case. It’s early in the season, so teams are all still trying to sort out what their postseason chances are and how their talent is meshing. The Warriors at 10-2 might not feel inclined to make a move anyways.
Still, De’Anthony Melton ($12.8MM), Gary Payton II ($9.1MM) and Kevon Looney ($8.0MM) present three large expiring deals that could theoretically be used in trades. The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga weren’t able to agree to an extension before the season, so he could be an outgoing piece in any hypothetical trade. Golden State owns nearly all of its future first-round draft capital, giving the team plenty of ammo for a move.
As for the Rockets, the impressive young duo of Tari Eason and Amen Thompson has been made off limits in any trade talks, according to Windhorst. The Rockets at 9-4 are also not in any sort of rush to make a deal, per Windhorst, and Eason and Thompson have helped the team rank third in defensive efficiency in the early part of the season.
In theory, as noted by ESPN, the Rockets have strong assets that wouldn’t require moving a young piece. Steven Adams is on an expiring $12.6MM deal and Houston retained Jeff Green ($8.0MM), Jock Landale ($8.0MM), Jae’Sean Tate ($7.6MM) and Aaron Holiday ($4.7MM) this offseason despite their lack of playing time. Houston has several draft picks at their disposal from Phoenix that could be enticing. Reports this offseason suggested they may be interested in trading those picks back to the Suns for Kevin Durant. While Durant is almost certainly off the table, perhaps some of those assets could be used elsewhere.
Again, most of the biggest names across the league seem unlikely to change teams in the coming months. Some, like Markkanen, agreed to long-term contracts or were recently on the move, taking them off the shortlist. Others, like Durant, are playing at a high level for contenders. That leaves a small group of players who would be worth sacrificing significant assets for.
It’s worth noting that reporting in October indicated the Rockets were signaling they were unlikely to make a major in-season move. Still, one name that should be monitored for both Golden State and Houston is Heat forward Jimmy Butler. He didn’t sign an extension with the Heat this summer and is planning on declining his player option this coming offseason to test the waters.
Both the Warriors and Rockets have been mentioned as potential suitors for the star swingman. Regardless, it would be pretty surprising to see the Heat move Butler. Even facing the risk of him departing in free agency, Miami selling a star player for young assets runs counter to the organization’s modus operandi.
Rockets certainly have enough players to get a deal done.
Jabari Smith Jr, Cam Whitmore, and some draft picks could easily land a star for the rockets
I wonder if the Rockets could pry LaMelo ball away from the Hornets
Reed Sheppard
Cam Whitmore
Tari Eason
Some 1sts and 1st round pick swaps.
The Warriors do not have to disturb their chemistry at this time…..if they can avoid any significant injuries, they should be able to go pretty far in the West….they’ve solid 13 deep
Sport writers keep pretending the warriors are going all in for a super star but there is no reason to do it because they are doing well right now. If a big man comes available somewhere that they could get with out unloading the future a trade will happen. I don’t see where Jimmy Butler would be a big impact on the team because he is too much like Wiggins.
I would say its far more likely they deal for a role player thats a bit of an upgrade, especially if someone on an expiring ends up injured for RoS. With someone like Butler theres just no way. It would take 5 or 6 contracts to match his salary, he isnt playing well right now, and there is no way to make the money work without Wiggins, so you would be trading too much depth and a group of players that collectively out perform him by a lot for an aging JB that might just be done as a top player and has 55M next season if he plays too poorly to opt out. Stay the F away from that one.
I could see them targeting a 10M player with great fit with GSW though.
Very true but we saw how the Warriors almost imploded and lost the game last night. With Curry off the floor it’s just not the same.
They need another guy, another leader, and we know it’s not Draymond Green. He’ll lose his cool at the wrong time and it’s happened way too many times. They need another guy. Another Him.
it was more of the Refs trying to keep the score close. There are some cheap leaders they can get. Brook Lopez could be brought in for cheap if Bucks continue to lose. I still think Moody and a pick for Kessler would be a good move for both teams since Utah needs scorers.
If they can do Butler for Wiggins+a pick, that’s an improvement. Miami won’t do that though.
Literally zero reason to add or subtract from this squad.
According to many predictions around October 17, Warriors are a 43-win team
Now Warriors are on pace to win 68 games. There is no trade since then
What is wrong with predictions? Ever happened?
No matter what, the non-Warriors media is ALWAYS trying to break up the Dubs when they are cooking.
No. Keep everyone. Chemistry is everything and this team has it. They have already weathered injuries to Steph, Slomo and Melton. The depth is the strength, the depth is why they win.
Hopefully we’ve all seen that Jonathan Kuminga is not a 4 just from watching last night. Too many great power forwards out there especially in the West.
He has zero chance of guarding a guy like Jaren Jackson jr. He gives up way too much in skill, size, weight, length.
In spite of the Great start, the Warriors need one more dude. Green gets it done on defense but how about a guy for the other end too?
That “one more dude” is literally Quentin Post. We already have him! Check his box scores in GLeague!
Gary also you are massively underrating Jaren Jackson Jr, who is a borderline superstar and one of the best defenders in the league. We still cooked with the size difference between Kuminga and JJJ. Not everyone has a 6’11” PF, Kuminga is still a 3-4 in this league.
I think we all like what we’ve seen from Post so far. I think he has a knowledge of the game and the man can shoot the rock. That’s a great foundation.
Value podz way high, back up PG @ best.
If the Warriors are going to be successful this year it’s going to be because of defense. If Buddy Hield cools off and Podski doesn’t find his shot and Curry misses some time, this team is in a lot of trouble. Big time.
So it’s the defense that must be pushed forward and emphasized and it’s where Golden State must hang its hat this year. No two ways about it.
There’s no big guy coming to save the season because there’s none available right now. It’s defense. That’s how the Warriors are going to have to do it.
Trading away the depth would cause more problems than it would solve.
I want to see Steve run these 2 units together, constantly flipping them around:
Looney-Slomo-Wiggins-Moody-Steph doing 2015 stuff
TJD-Dray-GP2-Buddy-Podz as the high energy unit
Any team that is gelling could be disrupted by this overall speed change alone.
Warriors most likely NBA team to make a trade?!
Here’s a name: DEANDRE AYTON, C, Portland, 7’, 7’6” wingspan, 250 lb, 26 yrs, #1 pick in 2018 draft.
IMO, with Warriors he projects to be what he was in 2023 with PHO:
– 30mpg, 18pts, and 11rpg.
– Over-average rim protector, but not elite.
– Very good lateral movement for 7’.
– Projected as a stretch-big when drafted in 2018, but Monte Williams in PHO and Chauncey Billups in POR want him to stay inside. At only 26 and never playing for the right team, there’s untapped potential in Ayton.
Not available, you say? Consider that rookie C Donovan Clingan, picked #7 in the draft, has looked *really* good this season, and needs to play more. Plus, Portland has 2 other serviceable-to-good C’s in RWilliams and Reath. Suddenly Ayton’s days in Portland appear numbered.
The bad: Ayton has struggled in Portland, at least relative to the expectations set by his first 4 years in Phoenix. His character rep took a hit in 2023 because he didn’t get along with Suns HC Monte Williams, but we now know Williams had conflicts with several Suns players.
Ayton is making $34M — challenging, but not impossible for GSW to match. Rebuilding Portland wants draft picks and expiring contracts. They do not want rotation players.
What’s Ayton’s trade value? Substantially less than Markkanen and Paul George. Plus, Portland does not want the remaining 2 years on Ayton’s contract, reducing their leverage.
A package of 2 lightly protected FRP’s plus the expiring contracts of Melton, Looney, GP2, & Waters might do it. There will be competition.
Why would you want to trade half the team for ayton? I’d rather trade one player like Kuminga since he clearly doesn’t fit for Timelord. Waay better fit at the 5 for the warriors if they were to go for extra size
Ayton has had a bad tude everywhere
Por would insta accept if you gave that package w 2 firsts
O/U 4 games before Dray ripped into DA like a med rare steak
By November 14, 2024
The Golden State Warriors bench is currently averaging 58 points per game this season
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