Quinten Post’s exit to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday left the Golden State Warriors with a clear opening in the frontcourt, and it’s the kind of hole that a blockbuster move for Anthony Davis could fill immediately.
Davis has already been tied to Golden State as the team chases his former Lakers championship teammate LeBron James, and the appeal goes beyond name value. At 33, Davis would give the Warriors another big body and a major piece for next season’s roster construction.
The need is real even after Golden State brought back veteran centers Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford over the past two weeks. Both come with age and injury concerns, which is why the Warriors still need a third center option they can trust.
That was supposed to be Post. The 2024 second-round pick, taken 52nd overall, had started 49 games across his two seasons with the team and gave Golden State the sort of seven-foot floor-spacing look they wanted as a backup big. The Warriors extended him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, but Memphis stepped in Monday with a three-year, $30 million deal the Warriors were never going to match because of their payroll situation and their ongoing pursuit of James.
Davis brings his own health questions, of course. He has played only 29 games since the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade early last year, and he hasn’t played at all as a member of the Washington Wizards since being acquired at February’s mid-season deadline.
That makes the idea of a Davis-Porzingis-Horford rotation both tantalizing and risky. It might be the most injury-prone big-man group in the league, but it also has real talent. The hope would be that Rick Celebrini and the medical staff can help keep at least two of the three available throughout the regular season.
There’s also a path for Golden State to soften the blow if the front office goes that route. If the Warriors trade Jimmy Butler for Davis, they may still have enough room to bring back Charles Bassey as the 15th man on the roster as insurance. Add in the inevitable Draymond Green minutes at small-ball five and a two-way big such as Graham Ike or Lachlan Olbrich, and the Warriors could at least build enough depth to survive the regular season with Davis, Porzingis and Horford in the mix.
In Other News...
Warriors Center Gamble Suddenly Looks Smarter Than Fans Realized
Trayce Jackson-Davis move to Toronto at the February deadline looked like a routine roster shuffle at the time, but it has quietly given the Warriors a little more to show for the deal than just a cleared spot. Golden State used that opening to take a look at Charles Bassey on a 10-day contract, and the big mans brief run was productive enough to keep him around, while the extra draft capital from the trade also gave the front office another swing at the back end of the roster.
The 54th pick acquired in the deal became Lejae Jones, and he has started to flash in recent games, which only adds to the sense that the Warriors squeezed real value out of a move that once seemed minor. For a team always hunting for useful size and cheap upside, the trade is beginning to look like one of those under-the-radar decisions that can matter more than it did on deadline day. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors LeBron Push Could Define Steph Currys Final Title Window
The Warriors interest in LeBron James has added another layer to a franchise that is always thinking about the next title run, even as Stephen Currys window narrows. Reports have linked Golden State to James for what would be his 24th NBA season, with Curry and James agent Rich Paul both part of the conversation as the team keeps exploring whether there is a realistic path to landing one more star.
It is still a speculative chase, though, and the kind of move that would require several other pieces to fall into place before it ever becomes more than a headline. The broader appeal is obvious for Golden State: pairing Curry and James would instantly reshape the leagues balance of power, but the mechanics of getting there remain tangled in future trade negotiations and the kind of roster math that can stall even the biggest ambitions. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Sent A Telling Signal About Jonathan Kuminga
The Lakers added Ziaire Williams on a one-year, $3 million deal, a move that helps fill out the roster while they keep working on Jonathan Kuminga. For Warriors fans, it is another reminder that the market around Kuminga is still active, even as Los Angeles continues to circle a former Golden State forward it has clearly not ruled out.
Williams gives the Lakers another body on the wing, but the signing does not close the door on more maneuvering. The bigger question remains whether the Lakers can still find a path to bring Kuminga in, and whether the roster move they just made is a sign they are preparing for that pursuit to go one way or another. [Read more 🡒]