Despite losing Kevin Durant in the 2019 NBA free agency, the Golden State Warriors still entered the 2019-20 NBA season with strong confidence that they could reclaim the NBA championship title. However, since the season started, nothing seemed to go well for the Warriors. The Warriors continue to struggle to win games and are losing players to injury one after another.
If the Warriors fail to find their way back to the winning column and see themselves heading into the lottery, Nekias Duncan of Bleacher Report believes that it will be best for them to consider trading Draymond Green before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.
“If this season is a wash for the Warriors, you’re going to be dealing with a 31-year-old Green in the first year of a four-year extension next season. He may still be a great player, but it’s a dangerous bet to make for a team bereft of young talent. Making a trade this season would be a way to cash in early while also further tanking their pick for this year’s draft.”
Once he becomes officially available on the trade market, Green is expected to receive plenty of interest, especially from NBA teams who are in dire need of an additional star power to contend for the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. According to Fadeaway World , one of the potential trade partners for the Warriors in the deal involving Green is the Orlando Magic.
In the proposed trade deal, the Magic would be sending a trade package including Aaron Gordon and a future first-round pick to the Warriors in exchange for Green. Though the deal works financially, the Magic and the Warriors would still be needing to wait until February 2, 2020, to make the deal since Green just signed a massive contract extension with Golden State this summer. However, as Fadeaway World noted, if the deal becomes a reality, it would help both teams in filling the needs to improve on their roster.
“Adding Gordon to the warrior’s cornerstone of players will make them exciting again, with a mix of dunking and sharpshooting. Gordon is also a perfect player to build around since he has a lot of potential and is still very raw. The Magic might be willing to pair Green and Vucevic, so this trade might happen.”
The potential deal would enable the Warriors to replace Green with a younger power forward in Gordon. Gordon still has plenty of things that he needs to improve with his game, but his ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc makes him a good fit for the Warriors’ system. The future draft pick would allow the Warriors to add another young and promising talent or they could use it as a trade chip to further improve their roster.
Meanwhile, the potential acquisition of Green would make the Magic a more competitive team in the Eastern Conference. Green would give the Magic a veteran All-Star with lots of championship experience. Green wouldn’t make the Magic an instant title contender, but his arrival would greatly help them in improving their performance on both ends of the floor this season.