Miami Heat: A trade proposition for the Golden State Warriors

Trade Overview

Here’s the outline of the proposed deal, which works out financially on the ESPN Trade Machine:

For the Heat: Ulitimately, the deal represents landing a four-time All-star who’s still just 28 years of age. Granted, Thompson now has a lot of miles under his legs courtesy of the Warriors playing through June over the past four seasons.

However, this could represent the prototypical situation of a player needing a fresh start to reignite his career.

An unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, Thompson has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain with the Warriors despite the very real possibility of receiving larger offers elsewhere.

In an ideal world, landing in Miami could present the perfect landing-place to kickstart his career. Sharing the backcourt with Justise Winslow, Thompson’s firepower is something that just presently exist on the Heat roster.

Amidst his enormous struggles this season, Thompson has still managed to break the record for most 3-pointers made in a game with his 14 made triples against the Chicago Bulls breaking teammate Stephen Curry’s previous record.

For the Warriors: This deal covers a number of areas for the Warriors. Firstly in Richardson, the Warriors land themselves a legitimate two-way shooting guard on an extremely team friendly contract.

Considering the Warriors also have Green and Kevin Durant‘s impending fire agency to deal with, having Richardson tied up for the long-term simply relieves themselves of another significant headache next summer.

Additionally, the deal greatly strengthens the Warriors bench. While he has struggled to receive consistent playing time recently, Ellington’s elite ability to stretch the floor and shoot from long distance would be an enviable weapon in the Warriors’ second unit.

As for McGruder, his career-best season as a true 3-and-D swingman would be a great fillip for Warriors side whose defensive efficiency has taken a sizable hit this season.

While the trade possesses a great deal of risk for both the Heat and the Warriors, the potential upside of the deal means this is one that should require serious consideration for each team involved.