The Golden State Warriors are already being floated as a team to watch when the trade deadline rolls around, and the name tied to them is a big one: 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis.
Golden State’s hot start has only added to the buzz. After opening 0-3, the Warriors have ripped off eight straight wins, and that kind of run tends to sharpen the conversation around what comes next.
With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both getting older, the idea of making a major move is easy to understand. Another scoring threat would fit the bill, and the Warriors may not be done there.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has already drawn attention, and Jimmy Butler could be back near the deadline as he continues recovering from a torn right ACL. Even with those pieces in the picture, the Warriors may still be looking for more firepower.
That’s where Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley comes in. He named Golden State as a possible destination for Davis, whose time with the Washington Wizards could end up being brief.
“Whether co-starring with a currently solo star or anchoring the interior for a could-be contender, he is the kind of player who could- if healthy, asterisk forever attached -tip the scales of the championship race,” Buckley wrote.
Buckley also pointed to the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors as teams that could put together reasonable trade offers for Davis.
Davis backed up the attention on Monday with a huge night, scoring 44 points and grabbing 13 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons. Even so, Washington came up short in that game and dropped to 4-7 on the season.
The Wizards may still be good enough to hang around the play-in picture, but that outlook seems tied heavily to Davis’ health.
And if Golden State ever did land him, the Curry-Davis pairing would instantly bring back memories of what once looked like one of the league’s most dangerous duos. The catch, of course, is that age now hangs over that idea and makes the fit a little more complicated than it once would have been.
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Warriors Face A Draymond Green Question They Never Expected
Draymond Greens name surfacing in trade chatter is the kind of development the Warriors never really expected to be managing this time of year. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Sacramento Kings have interest in Green ahead of the February mid-season deadline, which immediately turns a familiar Golden State cornerstone into an unexpected talking point as the market starts to take shape.
A deal between the Warriors and Kings would come with plenty of hurdles, from fit to contract considerations, and the idea still feels more like a difficult possibility than a clear path forward. Still, the fact that Green is being discussed at all says plenty about how quickly the deadline can force even the most established teams into uncomfortable territory, and there has been no official trade confirmed. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Injury Situation Just Made This Rockets Test Feel Different
The Warriors are heading into the first stop of a five-game road trip in Houston with plenty of momentum, but also a little more uncertainty than usual. Both Golden State and the Rockets are 8-3, and the matchup already had the feel of an early measuring-stick game before the injury report started to pile up for both sides. The Warriors have won eight straight, while Houston is coming off a win over the Denver Nuggets, so this one arrives with real weight even before the ball goes up.
Will Richard is among the names to watch after being listed as questionable with a left thumb UCL tear, and he is part of a broader list of players on both teams dealing with availability concerns. For Golden State, that adds another layer to a road test that was already going to say plenty about where this group stands early in the season. A strong start has given the Warriors some breathing room, but the kind of game they get in Houston could hinge as much on who is available as on who is playing best. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Backcourt Plans Could Suddenly Revive A Familiar Reunion Talk
The Warriors eight-game surge has only sharpened the sense that this group is back in the kind of position where bigger roster ideas start to surface. After the win over New Orleans, Golden State is once again being mentioned in the same breath as high-end names such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which tells you how quickly the conversation can shift when a team starts stacking victories and looking ahead to the next offseason.
Jordan Poole has also re-entered the picture in a way that would have sounded unlikely not long ago, with the former Warrior saying he would be open to a return as a free agent. If Golden State does end up with more salary cap flexibility next offseason, the front office may have more room to explore familiar paths as well as splashier ones, and that is the kind of backdrop that keeps reunion talk alive even when the roster is already rolling. [Read more 🡒]