Draymond Green has spent the last two games making a very specific point for the Warriors: if Golden State is going to keep pushing forward, it may not need a headline-grabbing move to do it.
Playing again as a small-ball five, Green helped fuel back-to-back road wins while reminding everyone that he can still take on the league’s biggest names. In Denver on Monday, he was part of the effort that held Nikola Jokic to 19 points on 18 shots. Two nights later in Minnesota, Rudy Gobert was held to one point and four rebounds and was effectively taken off the floor.
Just as important, Steve Kerr has shown he’s willing to trust Green in that role when the game gets serious. Charles Bassey and Graham Ike have barely been used, with Bassey logging only two minutes in the first half on Wednesday. That tells you plenty about where Kerr’s confidence sits when the Warriors are in a tight spot and need answers now.
If Golden State can get all the way to the playoffs - still a long road, but one that looks less impossible after these last two games - Kerr will almost certainly keep leaning on a frontcourt mix of Jimmy Butler, Yaxel Lendeborg and Green. Al Horford could also enter that picture as another veteran option with plenty of experience.
That’s why the Warriors may not need to swing big in a potential Kristaps Porzingis deal. They may not need a star.
They may not even need a clear-cut starter. A player like Myles Turner or Wendell Carter Jr. would be useful, sure, but would either one necessarily be closing games for Golden State late?
Not necessarily.
What the Warriors really need is a center who is better than Bassey and Ike and can be trusted more than they have been. Someone who can give them 15-20 solid minutes most nights, then take on 25-30 when Green and/or Horford are unavailable.
That’s why the team’s reported interest in Yves Missi makes sense. The New Orleans Pelicans big man would be an upgrade and offers more upside than Bassey or Ike, but he also isn’t so established that Kerr would feel pressured to force him into the finishing group over Butler, Green or Lendeborg.
Missi could fill the middle with 15-20 minutes a night and take on a bigger workload when Green and/or Horford are out. And because he still has another season left on his rookie contract, Golden State wouldn’t be tied to giving him major minutes just because he arrived in a significant trade.
In Other News...
Warriors Center Problem Looks Worse As Former Big Man Thrives Elsewhere
Quinten Post is already making an early impact in Memphis, where the former Warriors big man has helped fuel the Grizzlies undefeated start and sturdy defensive play. The Grizzlies rewarded him with a three-year contract as a restricted free agent, a move that only sharpens the contrast with Golden States decision not to keep him around.
For the Warriors, the timing is awkward because the frontcourt picture is still unsettled and Kristaps Porzingis remains away from the team. His absence is being felt in the roster mix and on the floor, and Post thriving elsewhere adds another layer to a center situation that already looked thin. [Read more 🡒]
Zion Trade Idea Forces An Uncomfortable Pelicans Conversation
A recent Bleacher Report trade idea has put the Warriors in the middle of another big-name hypothetical, with Andy Bailey floating a deal that would send Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and a 2027 first-round pick to New Orleans for Zion Williamson. It is the kind of framework that immediately grabs attention because it asks Golden State to part with one of its defining voices, while also imagining a roster shakeup built around a far more explosive offensive centerpiece.
For the Warriors, the appeal is obvious: Williamson would change the scoring ceiling and give the offense a different kind of pressure point. For New Orleans, the attraction would be the financial flexibility and the chance to reshape the roster around a veteran defender in Green, plus Porzingis and the draft asset. The uncomfortable part is just as clear, though, since the discussion quickly circles back to availability concerns on both sides and the reality that Golden State would be giving up Greens defensive leadership to make the swap happen. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Doncic Just Got A New Rival Lakers Fans Will Notice
Yaxel Lendeborgs first night in a Warriors uniform already gave Golden State a little extra buzz, and not just because the rookie No. 11 pick opened his NBA career with 12 points against the Lakers. The debut was enough to get attention on its own, but the postgame chatter around Lendeborg quickly pushed him into a bigger spotlight, especially with the way he spoke about Luka Doncic after the game.
Now the timing adds another layer. Lendeborg followed that opener with a historic performance against the Nuggets, and the Warriors are back on the floor against Los Angeles Friday night, which means Lakers fans will be watching closely for the next chapter. For a young player still settling into the league, it is already turning into the kind of early rivalry that can follow him well beyond one box score. [Read more 🡒]