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The Golden State Warriors are reportedly considering a trade pursuit for Dallas Mavericks center Anthony Davis.
Chris Haynes reported Friday that the Warriors are “making a case to acquire” Davis, but he added that the Mavericks don’t like what the Warriors would be offering, so a third team would have to get involved.
The Case for Acquiring Davis
I made the case for the Warriors to acquire Davis here.
The gist is Golden State needs to shake up the roster in a substantial way to be a title contender, and getting Davis would do that.
HIs combination of play finishing and defense would make the Warriors better.
The issue, of course, is that Davis has a long history of injuries, and he’s currently hurt again after suffering a groin injury on Thursday.
Even though that injury doesn’t seem serious, it’s a reminder that it’s hard to rely on Davis being healthy.
With that said, Davis didn’t miss a playoff game in either of his last two postseasons, and his averages in those playoff runs were 22.5 points on 55.0 percent shooting, 14.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.8 blocks, 1.1 steals and only 2.1 turnovers per game.
The risk might just be worth the reward.
What It Would Cost
There’s no way around it: Trading for Davis would cost Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
Even in three-team constructions, the bottom line is the Warriors would have to have at least $54.1 million in outgoing salary to bring in Davis. It’s believable that the Mavs don’t have interest in parts of the Warriors’ package—meaning they probably have no interest in Green—but they’d be banking on a third team wanting whatever they don’t want.
When ESPN’s Kevin Pelton suggested a four-team trade in which the Warriors landed Davis, he had Golden State giving up a 2026 first-round pick as well. That seems reasonable, though perhaps Davis’ injury history and Dallas’ desire for a fresh start would make the Mavs OK with getting less-valued draft capital.
That the Warriors are even reportedly considering this likely means they are having doubts that they are better with Green on the court.
He’s been one of their best players since the beginning of their dynasty, but it makes sense that at 35 years old, he’s going through an age-related decline.
Is There an Obvious Third Team That Could Make This Work?
I don’t see it.
Essentially, only a contender would want Green, and you can go through most of the contenders and quickly predict he’s not on their wish list.
For example. all of the Western Conference’s top six teams are loaded with frontcourt depth. The Lakers are the most realistic landing spot among the six, but they’d need to trade something appealing to Dallas, and my guess is the Mavs are not moved by Rui Hachimura and salary filler.
Green is making $25.9 million this season and he has a player option for $27.7 million next season. That’s a lof of money for a player having one of the worst offensive seasons of his career.
If I had to guess, Green remains a Warrior through the Feb. 5 trade deadline.