Golden State Warriors trade rumors: Klay Thompson, Draymond Green to stay beyond deadline
The Golden State Warriors are open to shoring up their roster via trades as long as they do not involve Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, despite the duo linked to several teams as the trade deadline approaches.
As per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Warriors have no interest to part ways with Thompson and Green, with whom they have won four titles. As such, any trades with the Warriors will have to involve other assets.
The Golden State Warriors are outside the playoff picture, with a 20-24 record. Injuries, on-court struggles and suspensions have considerably hampered their ability to soar and compete.
Five-time All-Star Thompson’s scoring numbers are down from previous seasons, at 17.6 points. His average, though, has improved following early-season struggles where he could not find his range.
Green, meanwhile, has been in and out of the Golden State roster because of injuries and league-imposed suspensions for rough on-court plays, keeping him out for 16 games. In 20 games, he has averaged 9.3 points, 6.1 assists and 6 rebounds.
As the trade deadline approaches, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy told NBC Sports Bay Area about how things have been in their camp:
“The assessment of the team and the roster has been challenging. We've got great depth, which we went into the season with. We've had some injuries and some suspensions.
"We've been able to mitigate that some with our depth, but it hasn't always translated to wins. So, I'm sitting here two weeks out from the trade deadline just honestly continuing to evaluate this team."
The NBA trade deadline is set for Feb. 8.
Golden State Warriors trade rumors: How can Dubs improve their roster
Given their non-interest in trading away Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors have limited elbow room for trades before the deadline. They still have assets they can move out to shore up their roster and turn their season around.
They surely need to upgrade their defense, just as they need a reliable shooter to ease the stress on Steph Curry and Thompson. Someone like Lauri Markkanen could help, considering his agility and good footwork when closing out. He couples that with a solid offense, draining 3s with a high clip and driving to the basket.
It may take a lot, though, to lure him out of Utah, but the Golden State Warriors could be creative and come up with a package attractive enough for the Jazz.
Another target could be Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls, who is a good wing and backcourt defender and can also shoot. Jakob Poetl from the Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, could provide added ceiling for the Warriors and is a double-double threat from the center.