Golden State Warriors Rumors: Proposed trade reunites defending champions with Gary Payton II

The Golden State Warriors are still struggling two months into the season. They're missing players such as Gary Payton II, who provided a spark last season. Payton signed with the Portland Trail Blazers this summer, but the latest rumors suggest a possible reunion with the defending champions.

According to Ryan Aston of Heavy Sports, Payton is now eligible to be traded and suggested that the Warriors should pursue him. Aston pointed out Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports and Tim Kawakami of The Athletic as the first two people to opine on the possibility.

"Knowing what a good fit Gary Payton II was before leaving for a payday in Portland this summer, the Warriors even could look to swap (James) Wiseman to the Blazers to bring him back," Deveney said last month.

Tim Kawakami, meanwhile, wrote that the Golden State Warriors would love to have Gary Payton II back. Kawakami explained that re-signing Payton last summer would have caused a lot of luxury tax issues for the defending champions.

However, Kawakami also suggested trading James Wiseman for Payton. The move would save the Warriors some money, while Payton's perfect fit to the team would be an added bonus.

Payton signed a three-year, $26 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He has not played a game for them this season due to injury. He underwent core muscle surgery in the offseason but is already working on his conditioning.

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Golden State Warriors named as potential landing spot for Bojan Bogdanovic

Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons

The Golden State Warriors are trying to survive without Steph Curry for the next few weeks. Curry is out indefinitely due to a partially dislocated left shoulder suffered against the Indiana Pacers on December 14. The Warriors might have to make a trade to stay afloat till their best player returns.

According to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons would be an ideal fit for the defending champions. Hughes explained that Bogdanovic can help the Warriors on offense. He offers a lot of scoring and could also be effective on Curry's return.

Bogdanovic is averaging 21.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 49.3% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc. Hughes added that the Warriors might have to trade James Wiseman and Moses Moody to the Pistons to acquire the Croatian scorer.

The problem, though, for the defending champions is that they're not the only team likely to be interested in Bogdanovic. The LA Lakers tried to acquire him from the Utah Jazz last summer before he got traded to the Pistons. His age could also be a factor, as he's already 33 and has a $39 million contract that starts next season.

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