Warriors trade proposal lands Anthony Davis in blockbuster Mavericks deal

Circumstances are getting dire for the Golden State Warriors. They will be without Stephen Curry for at least one more game, and to make matters worse, Jimmy Butler had to exit early during their 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. The Warriors are now 11-11 on the season, and they look so far from the team that steamrolled the opposition in the aftermath of the Butler trade in February until Curry injured his hamstring in Round 2 of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For starters, the Warriors’ offense has been dismal, and it’s a worrying sight to see a Curry-led offense put up poor numbers. On the season, the Dubs are ranked 23rd in offensive rating, scoring just 112.9 points per 100 possessions, and it’s their defense that ranks seventh that’s been keeping them afloat.

The Warriors’ team is old, and the difference between them and the moribund Los Angeles Clippers team that recently sent Chris Paul home in a bombshell move is that they actually have some young players worth playing heavy minutes. But the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski simply have not progressed far enough to the point where the Dubs can pass the mantle from the old guard to the young guns.

Could this lead to a Warriors desperation move? Perhaps. But it is worth mentioning that the Dubs do not move out of panic. They stayed the course following the 2020-21 season, and it led to a title. They bided their time in trading for Butler. They have remained steadfast in acquiring the most value possible for Kuminga.

Nonetheless, if the losses keep on piling up, the Warriors may be forced to pull off a blockbuster trade — perhaps even for Anthony Davis.

Warriors stun the world, trade for Anthony Davis

Warriors trade: Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Gui Santos, 2028 GSW first-round pick, 2032 GSW first-round pick

Mavericks trade: Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell

One would think that the last thing the Warriors will be needing moving forward is another old, injury-prone player. The Dubs are trending decrepit as it is, and acquiring Davis would further add to the consternation that comes with dealing with the health status of multiple 30-plus year-old guys who are expected to play key roles on a contending team.

It’s not like the Warriors need what Davis primarily brings to the table, which is interior defense. The Dubs rank in the top 10 in defense, and that’s with some absences from the likes of Al Horford and Green. If there’s anything head coach Steve Kerr can coax out of his roster, it’s an above-average defense.

But the Dubs need to make life easier for their perimeter shooters. They rely so much on movement and floor-spacing to generate buckets that it can be hard to watch sometimes when the shot doesn’t fall.

The Dubs rank first in the NBA in percentage of points scored from beyond the arc, at 41.8 percent. They rank dead last in the NBA in percentage of points scored in the paint. This just puts too much pressure on their shooters to produce on a nightly basis, and as everyone in the league knows, shooting is the most volatile part of the game.

Acquiring Davis would help so much in that respect. Davis is a hub for easy buckets on the interior, and he’ll be feasting considering how many talented snipers the Warriors have at their disposal. He’s no Draymond in terms of all-around defensive mobility, but he’s a better rim protector and they’re not even in the same conversation as scorers.

This trade, however, would require the Warriors to sacrifice another integral part of their dynasty. Green, for what it’s worth, nearly embodies the Dubs’ DNA as much as Curry does. They would not have achieved nearly half of what they did if it weren’t for Green’s swiss-army knife contributions on both ends of the floor. They will also be taking a significant playmaking hit with Davis taking Green’s place in the middle.

All of this just shows that there is no plausible scenario in which the Warriors could trade for Davis, at least not with a package that would entice the Mavericks. After all, that Mavs team traded Luka Doncic to get Davis specifically, and they’re not just about to let him go for spare parts, even if there’s a new brain trust leading the team.

Trading away Kuminga in the deal is also a bare minimum. It’s looking like a trade involving him is inevitable anyway, so the Warriors might as well figure out a trade that brings back a legitimate superstar like Davis in letting go of the seventh pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.

Kuminga simply never fit in the Warriors’ system, and at some point, you are who you are. As much as Kuminga would embrace doing the dirty work on the glass and on defense, his true playstyle — an isolation scorer who thrives with the ball in his hands — always comes out in the end.

The loss of Hield will not be good for morale, as he and Butler have teamed up to produce plenty of shenanigans in their short time together on the roster. The spacing he provides will also be missed. But when given the choice between keeping Hield or Moses Moody, it’s always going to be Hield who gives way. The Dubs need to at least retain one or two of their key young guys.

But at the end of the day, this package is not nearly going to be enough to entice the Mavericks. The 2032 first-round pick could be nice, but the Mavs will be looking for a blue-chip prospect, a veteran contributor, and a boatload of first-round picks in any Davis trade scenario. At this point, the Warriors’ cap and draft-pick situation prevents them from being a suitable trade partner.

The Dubs are better off looking for a Kuminga-centric trade once he’s eligible to be dealt on the 15th of January. Maybe Kuminga could be the centerpiece of a trade that brings back someone like New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy instead.

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