For the better part of the last 10 years or so, the Golden State Warriors have experienced much success and had won three championships thanks to the play of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson , aka the Splash Brothers. With Thompson missing his second straight season due to injury, all signs point to the Warriors making a serious bid for another title in 2021-22 with the five-time All-Star healthy once again. However, a recent trade idea suggested that the Indiana Pacers could acquire him in a deal that would send talented young center Myles Turner to the Bay Area.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report stressed that while there’s still “zero indication” that the Warriors will even consider trading Thompson, his recent health issues — including the ACL tear that made him miss the 2019-20 campaign and the torn Achilles that took him out of the current season before it even started — make him a risky investment going forward. As such, the outlet recommended that it might be a wiser idea to ship the shooting guard elsewhere and focus on improving their frontcourt rotation.
In the hypothetical trade, the Pacers would be acquiring Thompson and backup guard Jordan Poole for Turner, Jeremy Lamb, and Justin Holiday in a transaction that can only be carried out after February 18. As explained by Bleacher Report , the move makes sense because of how last year’s second overall pick, former Memphis Tigers center James Wiseman, is still a raw rookie who needs more “seasoning” before he can become a force in the paint.
“Turner would perk up the paint protection and stretch out opposing defenses as a 6’11”, 250-pounder with a three-ball. Jeremy Lamb could slide into Thompson’s vacated spot, while Justin Holiday could handle a reserve role like he did for the 2014-15 Dubs,” the outlet added, pointing out how the Warriors could benefit from the move.
Should the trade become a reality, Thompson should give the Pacers a much-needed outside threat and a quality scorer who could help improve the team’s 11th-ranked offense. As shown on his Basketball-Reference player page, the 31-year-old averaged 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and shot 46.7 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from beyond the arc in the 2018-19 campaign — his last healthy season in the league.
On the other hand, Bleacher Report stressed that Indiana will need to make a few “concessions” in order for the transaction to sound plausible. These would include admitting that Turner’s frontcourt partnership with Domantas Sabonis likely won’t lead to much success in postseason play and acknowledging that the organization might not have enough “star power” to outplay Eastern Conference powerhouses such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets.