Trade Roundup 3. Trade Steph? Trade no one? John Collins? Yuta Watanabe?

A complicated crossroads with low visibility

Continuing where we left off in

• Trade Roundup 1

• Trade Roundup 2

I plan to only address trade ideas that (1) work in the Trade Machine and (2) are proposed by someone in NBA media.

Why the Trade Roundup? What if you want no trade at all?

I’m a big believer that having specifics elevates the quality of fan conversation. Otherwise, you get the usual vague fan chatter: everyone is against bad trades and in favor of good trades. Everyone thinks the front office should get off their ass and pursue good trades but not rush into bad trades. Don’t get over-sentimental about the vets, but don’t over-project the young guys. The issue is everyone has different ideas of what’s good and bad, and the way to make the conversation more interesting is to look at specific trade ideas.

Even if you think the Warriors should stand pat, it’s a more sound, satisfying position if you know the trades you’re passing on.

So for instance, ChemKoala wrote

The more actual trades are suggested the more I just want the team to just play out the season and start the major reconstruction whenever we hit the offseason. If we play as poorly as we've been playing, we'll have a lot of down time to think through more creative strategies :/

Eric Apricot replied:

It’s okay if the conclusion of the Trade Roundups is, “we shouldn’t trade because all options are bad.”

In fact that’s lowkey the point of many of my Trade Polls and Roundups: it’s easy to complain out of context about the team being stupid and irrationally refusing to trade their crappy vets. When you see the actual trades, it becomes clear why it’s tricky finding the right trade.

8. Trading Steph Curry for LaMelo, Hayward and 7 picks??

Sleepy Freud wrote:

• GSW gets LaMelo Ball, Hayward’s expiring, and ALL THE PICKS you can legally offer (four unprotected first rounders plus three swaps)

• CHA gets #30.

In the latest Lowe/Simmons trade chatter podcast, Simmons utters the word “Charlotte” … and Lowe instantly knows what he’s about to ask.

Both agree that there’s no way GS would — or should — do it. Simmons related how he would rather have had Bird retire a Celtic than have seen him traded for peak Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. And Lowe says that’s what’s beautiful about sports fandom.

9. John Collins

Goofus wrote:

These guys from the Athletic have a trade proposal I don’t think I’ve heard:

• UTA get Andrew Wiggins

• GSW get John Collins

---

10. Eric Gordon and Yuta Watanabe

Valley of the Suns writes:

PHX gets

• Jonathan Kuminga

GSW gets

• Eric Gordon

• Yuta Watanabe

• 2024 Second Round Draft Pick

• 2026 Second Round Draft Pick

Eric Gordon certainly helps the Warriors in the short-term, with his shooting from deep and stout defending for a player of his size both able to help immediately. If not Gordon, then Nassir Little can be put in here instead, although it does mean that the trade has to be altered and not include Yuta Watanabe because of the contracts involved.

Gordon wants to win a championship - and although he is playing some really nice basketball right now - he also has expressed frustration at his own situation this season. The pair of second round picks aren't going to excite the Warriors, but they do give them a chance to perhaps package them in a future deal themselves.

Watanabe is interesting because he gives the Warriors size at a time when they desperately need it. But it is also fair to say that his own trade value has never been lower after a disappointing season. If there is one place he could rediscover his shooting touch though, it would be next to Curry and Thompson.

---

Feel free to discuss other trades in the comments, but whenever possible, please provide links to original sources.