Trade Grab Bag 11. Lillard and Siakam…

Trade ideas from the NBA media, polled with artisan love, dropped on your front porch

• Sleepy Freud (8 ♡):

  Not sure how realistic either target is, but they’re different cases, salary-wise: Wood is cheap enough at $13.6M that he could be had without losing Wiggins (Oubre TPE or Wiseman), where Siakam requires losing Wiggins (or one of the big 3).

  Not sure I’d do Wiggins for Siakam straight up, which blows up any of the going Siakam rumors for me. Green for Siakam would make more sense positionally, but I’m too attached to Dray (and the emotional reunion of the Big 3) to approve that one.

  Health (Wiggs arguably the league’s greatest iron man, where Siakam is coming off surgery) and position (Wiggs is a true 3, where Siakam basically plays Dray’s position).

• sabrinasez (6 ♡): 

  Wiseman will have a few extra months of NBA games played by the time Klay comes back. That'll help. Also Klay might be mentoring Wiseman. Hopefully in stuff other than boating.

• Captain Jack (6 ♡): 

I know we're all eager to trade Wiggins away for a star but watching this makes me think "Wow, that's a pretty ideal starting SF for this team".

A Patty Mills here or a Gay/Batum there + Chriss + 2 lottery picks that could possibly contribute and all of the sudden this team looks pretty damn solid from top to bottom.

Dub Nation HQ Draft Tourney: #2 Franz Wagner…

Versatile defender vs explosive rim-runner

• tempprofile (10 ♡): 

  Going through this exercise, it becomes increasingly obvious to me that unloading Wiggins, Wiseman, and the draft picks for somebody that isn't, say KD (who isn't coming back), is borderline insane. Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green, Looney with Poole and JTA coming off the bench is a darn good team. If Wiseman develops anywhere close to his potential, it's a monster team. The Warriors can draft guys like Wagner or Kispert or Moody, or whoever, that are probably good enough to warrant at least bench minutes and might develop into stars. And they have some miscellaneous cheap talent like Mannion, Paschall, and Jessup that can fill in at least in garbage time. Add in a few veteran minimum guys like GPII or GRIII, and a taxpayer MLE quality player and there is no reason this team can't compete for a championship. If it works out, they will be competing for championships the remainder of Curry's extension (which he presumably signs). I don't get the lust for players with known limitations like Simmons or older players with injury issues like Siakam. 

'21 Season Review: Juan Toscano-Anderson…

Oakland's very own stepped up as a key player for the Dubs during a tumultuous year.

• Goofus (6 ♡): 

  All good points, but I also think JTA’s highest and best use right now is off the bench/spot starter for a few reasons:

  1. His Iguodala-like ability to enter a game and bring whatever the team needs, whether it’s energy, defensive, rebounding, facilitating etc.

  2. His ability to play essentially 1 thru smallball 5 means he can sub in for anyone at any time, be it poor play, foul trouble injury etc. Kerr has to love having that arrow in the quiver.

  3. After Dray and Steph, JTA is probably the best at facilitating within the Warriors’ system (with Poole emerging). That skill is most valuable when Steph/Dray are off the floor.

  I think JTA and Poole will (and should) lead the team in bench minutes and I think both can (and should) spot start. I also think they’ll both see time in closing lineups, but JTA off the bench is just so perfect.

• Peter Hood (6 ♡): 

  Great piece. I have lobbied for JTA to be used as a small forward behind Wiggs in the rotation and how I missed the Iggy comparison, I don't know. He isn't Iggy in his prime, but neither is Iggy today. JTA can absolutely fill that old Iggy role, be the guy Kerr puts in with confidence because h trusts him to hustle, bring up the intensity on the floor, and make the smart plays. He still has room to improve, especially if the pieces around him and the rotations become more consistent. A second unit with Poole (as your Curry-style point guard in name only), a resigned Baze (better at the 2, GS needs some continuity at that position thru Klay's recovery), JTA (as the point forward, sharing half the playmaker load with Poole), Wiggs or Paschall and choose your center: "small ball 5" Paschall, "defense first" Looney or Wiseman makes for a pretty damn good second unit. Second unit rotations at the end of the year were really making hay, and it would be a shame if the Warriors don't begin this year with the same rotations first. 

  Because of Klay, Chriss, several untimely injuries and a bunch of new guys, Warriors rotations last year were a train wreck until the end of the year when they were forced into being themselves and playing Warriors style basketball. I am fine with Steph-Klay-Wiggs with Poole-Baze-JTA slotted behind them at the 1-2-3. I think it would be beneficial to the Warriors to set the rotations of the guards and small forward (& Dray of course), because this will give the rotations some continuity and cohesion. And I don't see any glaring holes in those 6 players. The heavy lifting is going to come with the PF & Center rotations. We know there is going to be a lot of tinkering and that Kerr is likely to Match-Up centers and big man rotations game to game. This will be a lot easier to do if the guards/small forward rotations are more consistent. Tinkering with the front and back court rotations at the same time is a recipe for the first half of last year. If we learned anything from last year, it's that Poole-Baze (if they're smart)-& JTA are up for the task and the second unit should be put in their hands. Kerr should keep those three so glued together that they will need a nickname as a group. Then give them a combination of any 2 front court players (or 1 and a wing for a small unit) and they will figure it out as a group. But lock those guys in! Now. And bring some order to the rotations. 

Dub Nation HQ Draft Tourney: #1 Davion Mitchell…

Battle of the hustling, defending, energizing winners

• Airgetlam (10 ♡): 

  Never been happier that the Dubs lost the play-in. These playoffs are absolutely cursed, I don't want Steph within 100 miles of any of that noise.

  Just have the mascots organize a pillow fight for the trophy, and shut the whole thing down.