The Warriors are willing to move Kristaps Porzingis right away if the right deal comes along, but that doesn’t mean they’re eager to take on just any big man with a hefty contract.
According to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer, Golden State has made clear that it is not especially high on Milwaukee’s Myles Turner as a trade target. That’s notable because Turner’s name has surfaced as a possible fit in a framework built around Porzingis, whose $20 million salary gives the Warriors flexibility in trade talks.
Fischer wrote that the Warriors did show interest in Turner back when he was making less than $20 million a year in Indiana, but the math looks different now. Turner is on a deal worth $26 million this season, $27.9 million next season and $29.1 million in 2028-29 as a player option, and Golden State apparently doesn’t see that contract as nearly as appealing. Fischer added that the Warriors would want draft capital or some other incentive from Milwaukee to even think about a Turner deal.
That’s where the conversation gets interesting. Turner is off to a rough start, putting up 8.0 points while shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from three.
That could be denting his trade value. Still, it would be a surprise if Milwaukee couldn’t land at least a first-round pick for him, especially given that he has posted a positive net rating in seven straight seasons, per Cleaning the Glass.
What the Bucks would not do, though, is attach draft capital to Turner in order to get Porzingis back. That part of the idea doesn’t hold up.
Fischer also offered another telling detail about Golden State’s thinking: “Yet the Warriors, sources say, are not exactly keen at this time to take back a player whose contract extends beyond this summer ... unless the proposed deal brings back a player who clearly enhances the team’s future.”
That line says plenty about where the Warriors seem to be drawing the line. They’re not looking to absorb long-term money unless the player is a clear future piece, and Fischer’s reporting suggests they do not view Turner that way.
The other name Fischer mentioned was Jalen Smith, who is on a $9.4 million expiring contract. That kind of deal fits the Warriors’ preference much better, though it’s not obvious why Chicago would move him for Porzingis without getting meaningful draft compensation back.
So while the exact target may change, the broader picture feels pretty clear: Golden State appears to want a center on an expiring deal or a star-level player, but not at a market price that costs them a first-round pick. In the end, the most likely outcome still looks like the Warriors sending out Porzingis and a first-rounder to land a quality center, even if that player turns out to be someone other than Turner.
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The range of outcomes is wide enough to keep the story unsettled for now, from a mid-season trade to a buyout or even an early retirement scenario, though no official decision has been made. What makes it especially tricky for the Warriors is that a breakup would not necessarily feel final, since Green could still be in position to return to Golden State in the future. [Read more 🡒]