Despite signing Al Horford in the offseason following Kevon Looney’s departure in free agency, the Golden State Warriors’ frontcourt unit is still below-average.
Horford and Quentin Post simply don’t move the needle at this time, which should motivate the franchise to search for an upgrade at the forward/center position.
In CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn’s opinion, the Warriors should consider acquiring Dallas Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis in a blockbuster trade involving a former Los Angeles Lakers NBA champion forward.
“The Warriors have been eyeing Davis for close to a decade now,” Quinn wrote Thursday. “Giving up (Jimmy) Butler would sting, and it would create a need to trade for a secondary creator elsewhere, but getting Davis would be worth it.”
“He's a meaningful upgrade on Butler and an absolute perfect fit in Golden State. He'd be Stephen Curry's best teammate since Kevin Durant and give them a vertical dimension offensively that they've never really had.”
“The problem is matching salary. The cleanest way for Golden State to do this is to trade Butler, but Dallas presumably wouldn't want him if its plan is to rebuild around (Cooper) Flagg.”
“Fortunately, there's a wing-needy win-now team in the East for whom he makes plenty of sense. The (Milwaukee) Bucks have so much shooting that they can afford to bring in a high-level wing who rarely takes threes.”
For clarity, the Warriors would receive Davis, the Bucks would receive Butler, and the Mavericks would receive Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince, 2032 first-round pick (via the Warriors), 2030 first-round swap rights (via the Bucks), and 2032 first-round swap rights (via the Bucks).
Although Davis wouldn’t offer the Warriors high-level production in pick-and-pop scenarios (he’s a 29.5% career three-point shooter), his overall two-way versatility would do wonders for the organization.
Whether tormenting sagging defenders in the mid-range area, using his low-post physicality to win one-on-one battles in the low post, or protecting the rim at a Hall of Fame level (he’s averaged two or more blocks per contest on 11 occasions), Davis gives opponents fits on both ends.
Davis, who the Lakers traded to the Mavericks last season for Luka Doncic, is averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game with Dallas this season (he’s currently out of the Mavericks’ lineup due to a calf strain injury).
If the Warriors are willing to move on from Butler after less than two full seasons, they could acquire a game-changing frontcourt contributor who’s eager to prove he can regularly stay healthy.
More NBA: Mavericks predicted to cut ties with Anthony Davis via blockbuster trade to Lakers