The Golden State Warriors were part of the first major trade today. The Warriors are reportedly not done making roster moves.
Golden State completed an important trade for Dennis Schroder, who provides instant scoring for an offense early this afternoon. But the Warriors could’ve gotten a bigger haul.
Yahoo’s Sports Jake Fischer reported that Golden State and Brooklyn also discussed adding Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith to the deal, but the Warriors rebuked the offer.
There were indeed talks between the Warriors and Nets that involved both Dennis Schroder and Cam Johnson, sources said.
Warriors Rumors: Dubs Could Of Had A Bigger Haul With Trade, Open Roster Spot, Biggest Weakness, And Moses Moody Injury Updates
According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, a big reason Golden State didn’t want to add Johnson to the mix was Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s desire to keep his youngsters’ intake. This makes sense as the Warriors are up against the first tax apron, where they are hard-capped.
The sides also had preliminary talks that included Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith in larger structures, but that went nowhere, league sources said. The Warriors preferred this simple, affordable swap that filled an immediate need while also protecting their young talent.
That doesn’t mean the Warriors won’t revisit a trade for either Johnson or Finney-Smith prior to the trade deadline. But the Warriors need to see how Schroder fits in with Curry and Co.
NBA Insider Marc Stein said that Brooklyn wanted Jonathan Kuminga to be included in the deal for Johnson. Kuminga, who didn’t receive a rookie-scale extension this fall, is supremely talented but has yet to figure things out completely. The 22-year-old put together a career season a year ago. He can undoubtedly score but has struggled shooting the ball in the early going, though he has taken a step towards improving from beyond the arc.
Golden State has 14 players on a standard contract. But the Warriors are just $330,000 below the first tax apron.
Golden State has been one of the league’s best on the defensive end, ranking fourth in defensive ranking. The Warriors are getting after it on the defensive end as they guard all over the court. Just as important, and perhaps more so for the Warriors due to their recent struggles in the recent years, they are doing an excellent job on the defensive glass and keeping out of transition and the paint.
Offense The Warriors Current Cryptonite
It is on the offensive end where Golden State has struggled and is the main reason the Warriors have lost seven of their last 10. The Warriors are producing just 104.1 points a game during this stretch, which is nine points fewer than their season average. The Dubs have scored at least 112 points (the league average) three times while not reaching the century mark on four occasions over this 10-contest stretch.
Golden State is not a great shooting team. The Warriors are 22nd in field goal percentage, 14th in 3-point percentage despite attempting the fourth most threes, and 30th in free throw percentage. A more trouble concern is that the Warriors starters average a league-low 66.5 points.
Golden State is 8-9 against teams with a .500 record, with just a minus-0.3 point differential. The Warriors (14-10) are 6-1 versus teams with a losing record. They are also 8-6 against playoff teams, including 6-5 against the West’s top-8 squads heading into Sunday’s contest against Dallas.
Affordability
I point all this out, saying that the Warriors probably could use Johnson. Johnson is in the midst of a career season with 18.9 points and 3.3 treys, with shooting splits of 48.4/43.1/89.1. He has scored in double figures in 22 of his 24 appearances this season, topping the 20-point mark 10 times and totaling 30 or more points twice.
The problem is that, given the Warriors’ financial situation, Johnson is probably too expensive unless they want to give up “the farm.” Meanwhile, Finney-Smith is having a fantastic season himself. The 31-year-old forward is shooting the ball exceptionally well, producing a 63.1% effective field goal percentage, but he is not a consistent scorer and is only an average career 3-point shooter.
Right now, it sounds like Jimmy Butler may be the player the Warriors are saving their assets for. The Warriors have all their first-rounders through 2029 and added a second-round pick with the Schroder trade. Perhaps Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, both of whom the Warriors pursued earlier this offseason, will become available.
Schroder Debut and Injury Updates
Since the Warriors’ trade was just completed earlier today, the 31-year-old German is unsurprisingly unavailable for tonight’s game against Dallas. However, he is expected to practice this week with the Warriors and make his debut, starting alongside Stephen Curry when Golden State travels to Memphis on Thursday.
Moses Moody (left knee), one of the Warriors’ young assets who could be traded though he has poison pill provision, also sat out the game against the Mavericks. ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk said that the 22-year-old guard, who now has missed two straight contests, is day-to-day and could return on Thursday.
On the positive side, Curry (neck) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle) were upgraded to available after being questionable earlier. Wiggins had missed the previous two games with the injury.
Open Two-Way Roster Spot
Before possibly making another trade, Dunleavy’s first priority will be to fill the Warriors’ open two-way spot. The spot became available when undrafted rookie Reece Beekman was sent to Brooklyn of Schroder trade. Beekman was having a great start to his professional career with G-League’s Santa Cruz.
Dunleavy could look at players already in the Warriors system with Santa Cruz, or he may go outside to fill the opening. If Dunleavy stays in the house, he has plenty of options. Yuri Collins, Blake Hinson, and Jackson Rowe are arguably the Warriors’ best options.
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