Golden State Warriors: 2016 Offseason Grades
Bye-Bye, Bogut
In order to clear enough cap space for Durant and bench depth, the Warriors had to shed the final year of Andrew Bogut’s salary.
In a vacuum, trading a championship-caliber center like Bogut (and a 2019 second round pick) for nothing more than a conditional second round pick would be a horrendously one-sided deal.
Though he only averaged 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game last year, he was an intrinsic part of Golden State’s defense and and underrated part of their passing on offense. That being said, giving up a 31-year-old injury-prone center is a small price to pay to sign one of the top three players in the NBA.
The #sixers showed 'heavy interest' in Andrew Bogut as a trade target, per @espn_macmahon. pic.twitter.com/zUdNvhn0qt
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) July 14, 2016
Though this was a salary dump, the Warriors really didn’t have to give up much to unload Bogut — a move the rest of the league knew was necessary to sign Durant and had little incentive to help facilitate.
Losing their starting center and renouncing the rights to their backup center was a risky endeavor, especially with nothing in return, but the Warriors did what was necessary to land a superstar in his prime with this trade. Even better, they wound up founding an adequate replacement anyway.
Grade: A-
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