The Warriors’ hopes of finding a LeBron James workaround are looking thinner by the day.
Golden State already got a discouraging update from ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who reported yesterday that the team is “pessimistic” about its chances of landing the superstar. Then Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports added another wrinkle: James reportedly wants one of his suitors to acquire either Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving before he makes his call.
That leaves the Warriors staring at a narrow, messy route. Davis has been a player Golden State has shown trade intrigue for before, but his situation is tied up with his current extension status with the Washington Wizards. Irving, meanwhile, looks even less realistic now because of how the Dallas Mavericks have handled their offseason.
For Golden State, that matters. If Irving is off the table, the Warriors are left with almost no obvious way to satisfy the kind of move James appears to be waiting for.
Dallas has effectively boxed itself in at point guard. After its involvement in the three-team Lu Dort trade, the Mavericks added Zaccharie Risacher and now have a roster loaded with rangy combo forwards. Along with Risacher, the group includes Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, Santi Aldama, Morez Johnson Jr., and Naji Marshall.
There should still be more activity coming from Dallas this offseason, but the key point is simple: after moving on from Ryan Nembhard, the Mavericks don’t have another true point guard option besides Irving. The expectation is that Irving will be healthy to open the season and serve as the offense’s engine while Flagg keeps developing the playmaking package the team worked to build during his rookie campaign.
Dallas also doesn’t control its own first-round pick this season, since it is owed to the Charlotte Hornets and protected at first and second overall.
So while a Davis move may still technically sit out there, the Irving route looks all but closed. And if James is waiting on one of those dominoes to fall, the Warriors may already be out of luck.
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Now the Hawks are sitting at 17 players, which means the math is forcing another move before long. Hield has not been a major part of the rotation, and the cleanest path may be to use him in a consolidation deal just to get back under the 15-man limit, a reminder that sometimes the expensive part of a trade is not the player you add but the flexibility you lose. [Read more 🡒]
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Warriors Trade Idea Could Completely Change The Jimmy Butler Debate
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What makes the discussion interesting is how much it would alter the way the Warriors are built if both sides ever got serious about it. The concept would require real draft capital and, of course, agreement from another team, but it also speaks to the larger question hovering over Golden State: whether chasing Butler is still the cleanest path, or whether a different package could change the debate entirely. [Read more 🡒]