NBA Trade Grades: Philadelphia 76ers add Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III
By Phil Watson
NBA Trade Grades: Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors, playing in what many have described as a gap year following a run of five straight appearances in the NBA Finals, trimmed a bit more salary from their payroll and are now a little less than $473,000 over the luxury tax line … for now.
By sending out Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III and not taking any players back in return, the Warriors are down to just 11 players on the roster — four below the maximum and two less than the minimum of 13.
One of those spots, the one vacated when Golden State traded Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks, has to be filled by Saturday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Warriors now have four open roster spots. The Cauley-Stein vacancy must be filled by Saturday (two week mark since trade) -- likely by Marquese Chriss. Two other spots must soon be filled. The 15th roster spot doesn't have to be, as the team tries to duck the luxury tax.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 6, 2020
So barring additional trades, the Warriors will still wind up over the tax line, though that could be mitigated a bit by cycling players through on 10-day contracts over the season’s final two months and change.
What general manager Bob Myers has been able to do is restock the draft cupboard. Less than a month ago, Golden State owned just one second-round pick over the next seven drafts. Now the Warriors will have five in that same time span.
For an organization that mined former Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-NBA selection Draymond Green and one of this season’s top rookies in Eric Paschall out of the second round, those picks could be more beneficial than what might appear at first glance.
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Throw in the fact their 2020 first-round pick, a top-10 protected selection traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the D’Angelo Russell-for-Kevin Durant sign-and-trade fest last summer, now projects to be in the top three — should the ping pong balls bounce their way — and the Warriors could be back quickly next season once Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney are healthy again.
This deal was made as much for cutting the tax bill as it was for any reasons having to do with the product Golden State is putting on the floor, as evidenced by the reactions of Steve Kerr and others to losing Burks and Robinson, both popular figures in the locker room.
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Still, in a lost season for the Warriors, cutting the tax bill and collecting future assets are more important than keeping journeymen veterans around.