Golden State Warriors: Breaking down the 5 best trade ideas
By Jenny Lu
Let’s analyze 5 interesting trade ideas that have been on everyone’s minds since the Golden State Warriors secured the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.
Over the past few weeks, the Golden State Warriors have been linked to a ridiculous number of names in the league. After scoring the number two pick in the draft the team has several options going forward, whether that means drafting for the future from the pool of top prospects such as LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, and more, or trading the pick for another player. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will rejoin Draymond Green on the court next season, making the Warriors, once again, likely contenders.
If the Warriors want to go all-in for the 2020-’21 season, we can expect them to trade their draft pick. Many attractive names have been thrown around but as enticing as NBA superstars are, a good fit with Steph and Klay on the field is essential.
Although any rumor should always be taken with a grain of salt, here’s a breakdown of five rumors that have caught our attention, including how likely the trade is and whether or not the acquired player would be a good fit on the team.
5. Bradley Beal
Despite the Washington Wizards falling just short of the playoffs in the bubble without its two stars, Bradley Beal and John Wall, Beal had a career season before discomfort in his shoulder forced him to opt-out of the NBA restart. He had career-highs in points per game and assists, 30.5 and 6.1, respectively, and second to only James Harden in scoring.
Beal’s shooting percentages were just below league-average with a field goal percentage of 45.5 and a 3-point percentage of 35.3, but his production every game showed that he was a highly efficient player. On the defensive end, however, Beal performed badly–to say the least. He had a defensive box plus/minus of -2.4, a career-low, and was particularly bad when matched up against isolation plays.
Although Beal is one of the less expensive players that have been linked to the Warriors, his defensive effort and numbers should be enough to conclude that he is not fit for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors need someone who can play consistently good defense to compliment Steph and Klay if they want to have a well-rounded team for next season.