The Golden State Warriors are still sorting through the Kristaps Porzingis mess, and their reported interest in New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi looks like a move aimed at cleaning it up fast.
That pursuit points to something pretty clear: the Warriors want a real big man solution sooner rather than later. If they’re going to get out of this problematic spot with an actual rotation upgrade, the Pelicans keep looking like the cleanest path.
According to Pelicans insider Shamit Dua of In The N.O., Golden State has already checked in on Missi as Porzingis’ absence from the team drags on and the possibility grows that he may never play again.
"Teams have also continued to call on Pelicans center Yves Missi, and sources say the Golden State Warriors have recently made inquiry. The Pelicans, like with Jones, continue to rebuff offers, which have mostly been based around second round picks," Dua wrote.
Missi makes sense for Golden State on his own merits. If Steve Kerr believes the best five-man group includes Gui Santos, or eventually Jimmy Butler, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green, then the Warriors don’t need a headline center.
What they do need is a dependable body who can eat regular-season minutes and ease the load on Green and Al Horford. Missi can do that better than Charles Bassey or Graham Ike, and he brings more upside too. At 22 and as a former first-round pick, he already flashed that ceiling in the Pelicans’ season opener against the Indiana Pacers, when he put up 13 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in 30 minutes.
There’s also the contract angle. Missi is on his rookie deal for another season beyond this one, which would give Golden State a young, promising big on a cost-controlled contract for the next 18 months.
And that’s before getting to the bigger prize.
Porzingis makes $20 million, while Missi is at $3.5 million, so any deal would require more salary going back the other way. That opens the door for the Warriors to chase Trey Murphy III, a player they’ve long had interest in.
A trade sending out Porzingis and Moses Moody for Murphy and Missi would fit financially. The real question is how many picks would need to be added, and whether both sides can land on the right number.
Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray and even Jordan Poole are other names that could end up in the mix, which only reinforces the idea that New Orleans is the obvious trade partner if Golden State wants to get this Porzingis situation fixed quickly and efficiently.
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