The Golden State Warriors are hoping to compete for a championship in the 2024-25 season after getting off to a hot start this season. Amidst rising injury concerns and a rotational production reduction, the franchise has lost their last four games in a row and fallen from the No. 1 seed in the West to No. 4. They’re a competitive unit but need to make slight adjustments to their roster to unlock their potential.
One glaring hole has been the team’s production from the center spot. Trayce Jackson-Davis has proven to be inconsistent as a starter while Draymond Green can’t carry the load of playing that position for an entire season at 6’5″ given his importance to the team. A trade to acquire a productive big man who can produce offensively and be a major rebounding presence seems inevitable for the Warriors.
Trade Details
Golden State Warriors Receive: Nikola Vucevic
Chicago Bulls Receive: De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, 2026 Second-Round Pick (ATL), 2029 Second-Round Pick (GSW)
The Chicago Bulls are reportedly listening to offers for Nikola Vucevic and his worth is expected to be two second-round picks. This is an offer the Warriors should be all over given their issues at center and the fact that the franchise needs more winning offensive players who have consistent roles.
The Warriors Buff Up Their Starting Five
The Warriors have the makeup of a Playoff team this season with improved depth around Stephen Curry after missing the postseason last year. But making the Playoffs isn’t going to be enough when they have a generational talent like Curry in their prime. The team has been unwilling to trade away their young stars or major future assets for short-term gains, so a move like this for Vucevic would make a lot of sense.
Vucevic is averaging 20.9 points and 10.0 rebounds this season, proving to be an impactful center in the NBA for the surprisingly competitive Bulls. However, Chicago isn’t going to break their cycle of mediocrity with another Play-In appearance and low lottery pick, so Vucevic should be unleashed on a winning franchise. The team is reportedly looking to trade him and Zach Lavine away, so this deal makes sense for the Warriors to capitalize on.
Vucevic is an active offensive presence who is a double-double threat on a nightly basis. He has intelligent on-ball skills to make plays out of the post and would be a great complement to Curry with his screening ability and floor-spacing, shooting 46.9% from three on 4.4 attempts per game.
While there are elements of the Warriors offensive that might be incompatible with a player like Vucevic, he would be a massive talent improvement on the franchise for a very cheap price.
The Bulls Start Tearing It Down
The Chicago Bulls have been a middling team in the East for over half a decade, always trying to unsuccessfully fight for a Playoff spot outside making the postseason in 2022. The team just hasn’t had the right ingredients or luck for consistent Playoff success with Zach LaVine, with acquiring Vucevic in 2021 being the first real attempt at surrounding him with winning teammates.
Now with the departures of DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, it’s a matter of time before LaVine and Vucevic find new homes. Vucevic is easier to trade with his two-year contract and moving him will truly mark the beginning of the Bulls’ teardown, as they’ll be giving up winning hopes with Vucevic, the player they ended up trading Wendell Carter Jr. and the draft pick that became Franz Wagner for.
De’Anthony Melton will essentially be an expiring contract who won’t play for the franchise after he suffered an ACL injury with the Warriors this season. Gary Payton II is averaging 4.3 points and 2.2 rebounds this season, potentially being valuable in a future trade for the multi-positional defender.
The players and the picks won’t be consequential, but getting off the $41 million owed to him until the end of next season because of the extension they handed Vucevic last summer will be their reward.
Need Size To Compete In The West
If the Warriors hope they can carry their current roster through to the Playoffs and win a title, they’re sorely mistaken. The West has become a Conference of the Giants over recent years, with the No. 1 seed OKC Thunder proving that point when they went out of their way to sign Isaiah Hartenstein this offseason. The value of dynamic centers is high, and the Warriors need one to unleash their full potential.
An inside-scoring threat like Vucevic will be a great complement to Curry’s three-point gravity, as they’ll both be pulling defenders away from the other in opposite directions. Curry hasn’t played with an offensive-minded big man at all during the competitive Warriors years, so adding Vucevic could enhance the Warriors with a unique dimension which makes them more threatening in the West.
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