The NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching, and for the first time in years, the Golden State Warriors are in the middle of all the rumors. Competing in five-straight NBA titles with a roster that features four healthy All-Star caliber players has left the Warriors content in trade deadlines of the past. However, in the 2019-20 season, things are changing.
The Warriors have already traded center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a second-round pick, and with the deadline to make trades right around the corner, the rumors around Golden State are heating up.
23-year-old guard, D’Angelo Russell, has been the centerpiece of most trade chatter with several different teams being connected. Reports have indicated both the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in Russell. Yet, there hasn’t been a deal to come to fruition yet.
When it comes to the deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors are “investigating deals that shed salary and lower tax bill — as well as bring back some draft value.”
Wojnarowski mentions that the Warriors could hold onto Russell through the deadline. If a team can’t meet Golden State’s pricepoint, seeing Russell alongside a healthy Stephen Curry would be an intriguing option for Warriors’ decision-makers.
Curry has played only four games this season, limiting any opportunity for Russell and the two-time Most Valuable Player to build chemistry. If Curry’s rehab from his broken hand injury continues to go as planned, he could return sometime in March, giving him and Russell around 20 games to play together before the end of the season.
If the Curry and Russell backcourt experiment fails, the Warriors could look to tweak their roster over the offseason instead of the upcoming trade deadline.
