The Golden State Warriors’ most recent 121-119 victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night pushed their record to 35-28, as Stephen Curry poured in 40 points and knocked down seven three-pointers in a 22-point comeback effort.
Golden State has come away the winner in eight of their last nine contests and hold an impressive 10-1 record when their recent trade deadline acquisition from the Miami Heat Jimmy Butler takes the floor.
With the team enjoying plenty of current success, recent rumors have indicated that while it remains unlikely, it’s not impossible for their general manager Mike Dunleavy to pursue a trade this summer for LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets while letting go of a franchise legend in the process.
“Ball’s value on the trade market would largely dictate whether the Warriors can field a competitive offer,” Athlon Sports’ Svyato Rovenchuk wrote Friday morning.
“The financial aspects of this trade would also be difficult to figure out, considering how much of Golden State’s cap will be tied up in the recently-acquired Butler and Stephen Curry.”
“Any deal for the Hornets star would likely need to involve Draymond Green for financial reasons. The Warriors would be left with just one cog from the famous Golden Dynasty.”
“Is this a route worth exploring for the Warriors? On an inquisitive level, it probably is. Is this a situation that is likely to actually yield something of substance? That remains doubtful.”
At just 23 years old, Ball has begun to truly explode as an all-around offensive engine for Charlotte, as he’s averaging 26.2 points and 7.0 assists in 39 appearances for the team this season.
While the Warriors would have the opportunity to make amends for a previous draft mishap when they selected injury-prone center James Wiseman ahead of Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, parting with Green in the deal may be too hard of a pill to swallow for the organization.
Even in his 13th season, the 2017 Defensive Player of the year and four-time All-Star forward’s two-way value has remained crucial to the group’s success.
The 35-year-old is contributing 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists while sporting a sensational 109 defensive rating per 100 possessions with Golden State this season, making the hypothetical decision to trade him for an up-and-coming superstar that much more difficult.
The thought of adding Ball to a free-flowing offense predicated on constant movement and passing surely could be a tempting one for the Warriors’ front office, but potentially having to let go of Green and a promising prospect like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski to get a deal across the finish line would likely prove to be too steep of an asking price.
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