The Golden State Warriors are a team that will have championship aspirations next season. That just comes with the territory of having Stephen Curry at the peak of his powers on your team, and Klay Thompson finally returning from injury.
The Warriors have a lot of younger players on the roster, and perhaps it would be prudent to send some of them away in a trade in order to make a win-now move and get a star for the roster. Adding star power generally helps win championships.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has recently proposed a scenario where the Golden State Warriors make a splash for Brandon Ingram. The trade features the Warriors sending out a package featuring two of their top prospects, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Golden State Warriors Receive: Brandon Ingram, Tomas Satoransky, and Jaxson Hayes
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, and Jonathan Kuminga
It is easy to see how Brandon Ingram would help the Golden State Warriors, as he is a great three level shot creator who could help with some of their scoring issues. Ingram is notably still “on the right side of 25” and Buckley mentions that this trade would “prioritize the present” while also not “completely neglecting the future”.
A source told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kendra Andrews that Golden State would only empty its treasure chest of assets for one player—who isn’t available. The player wasn’t named, but Andrews added “it’s hard not to assume” the target is Bradley Beal.
This deal obviously doesn’t deliver Beal, so does that make it a deal-breaker? Maybe not. The Warriors aren’t giving up everything here, as they’d still keep No. 14 pick Moses Moody, plus all of their future picks. Since Moody is the most polished of Golden State’s top three prospects, he might offer more immediate value than James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga, which should arguably be the franchise’s focus with Stephen Curry’s 33rd birthday behind him.
Continuing this win-now logic, it might be worth sacrificing two blue-chip prospects and Andrew Wiggins for this package. Brandon Ingram can walk into a second or third scoring role—depending on how Klay Thompson looks on this side of a torn ACL and Achilles—Tomas Satoransky offers plug-and-play rotation depth and Jaxson Hayes has the above-the-rim interior element the Dubs would be missing without Wiseman.
And since Ingram is still on the right side of 25, the Warriors aren’t completely neglecting the future. They’d just be prioritizing the present, again as they arguably should with Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green all in their 30s.
There is no question that the Golden State Warriors making a move for Brandon Ingram would help them get a step closer to contention. While the Warriors notably didn’t make any trades on draft night, they still have plenty of time, and perhaps we’ll see a move in the future. It makes sense to make the most out of Stephen Curry’s prime, and it remains to be seen whether the Warriors will be able to accomplish that.
