Golden State Warriors: 5 Potential Low-Cost Trade Targets
4. Thabo Sefolosha
Though a groin injury has sidelined him for the last six games, Thabo Sefolosha is a defensively oriented veteran who could really help Golden State lockdown on the perimeter in a playoff series.
Though the 3-and-D label no longer applies to him since he converts only 32.9 percent from three-point range, the Atlanta Hawks wing has been better than in recent seasons, averaging 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 25.8 minutes per game.
The Warriors’ second unit wouldn’t need him to put up a bunch of points; they’d just need him to defend and help the Dubs protect leads when the starters need a quick breather. His $3.9 million comes off the books this summer too, making him a cheap rental without any long-term baggage.
Unfortunately, working out a deal where the Warriors don’t give up a key piece or a promising young player is hard to do, even to make room for a salary under $4 million.
Our first example has the Dubs sending James Michael McAdoo, rookie Damian Jones and veteran linchpin David West to Atlanta.
The Hawks would have little interest in West, who would be included to balance salaries out, but they’d be getting two quality frontcourt players to play behind Dwight Howard and/or possibly replace Paul Millsap if he leaves in free agency.
McAdoo is an unnecessary piece of frontcourt depth who’s still only 24 years old and has spent the last few seasons learning from a championship culture. Jones is a 21-year-old seven-footer who’s spent a grand total of 25 minutes on the court this season because of torn pectoral in his arm, but he could be a decent rotation player if given the proper playing time.
However, McAdoo, Jones and an aged veteran might not be enough of a return for Atlanta — even for a bench player like Sefolosha — if they want to make a playoff run. Another alternative would be giving up on Kevon Looney, Jones and West.
Looney is a 21-year-old player in his second year. He hardly plays in Golden State, but he has plenty of length and stretch-4 potential as long as he can stay healthy. He and Jones might be intriguing enough to get Atlanta to bite.
However, the Warriors are high on Looney’s potential, especially as a rebounder who can supply that high-powered offense with second chance opportunities. They haven’t gotten to see much of what Jones can do yet, and trading West after he took that free agency discount to pursue a championship would be downright heartless.
Another alternative that would work financially would be sending JaVale McGee and Kevon Looney to Atlanta.
However, JaVale McGee has been superb in limited minutes, posting 24.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per 36 minutes. Shipping off him and Looney for a bench wing would probably be more of a short-term AND long-term downgrade, especially since perimeter defense isn’t that big of a need at the moment.
Keeping McGee’s rim protection and Looney’s potential would make far more sense than trading for a 32-year-old wing who will hit free agency this summer, even if that particular package might interest the Hawks.
Golden State could try to involve a third team to try and bring Sefolosha aboard, but they’d still have to shed some youth in order to make room for his contract, and as you can see, working out that kind of deal comes with plenty of pitfalls.