If the Golden State Warriors front office has specialized in anything over the last few seasons, it’s in coming oh-so-close to adding stars, whether in trades or free agency. Now another All-Star has joined the stunning roster of almost-Warriors.
Anthony Slater reported that the Warriors were “exploring
a trade” for Jaren Jackson, Jr. at last year’s deadline, before the Memphis Grizzlies ultimately shipped the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks, two former first-round picks, Kyle “Slo Mo” Anderson and new Warrior Georges Niang, who didn’t actually take the floor for either team last season.
Could the Warriors have matched that offer? It’s possible, since three future Warriors firsts are probably better than picks from the Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers next season, and a Phoenix Suns first in 2031. Jackson made $35M last season, meaning a combination of Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield would have come close to matching his salary.
But the real question is whether this was a real possibility at all. The Warriors are notorious for talking about players they wanted, or almost got, or might get in the future. They’ve gone through this song and dance multiple times with LeBron James and Kevin Durant, not to mention other supposed targets like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Ingram, Lauri Markkanen, Kawhi Leonard, Meadowlark Lemon, and Air Bud.
Plenty of teams explore trades, because simply exploring a trade is easier than anything Dora the Explorer does. The Warriors are one of the few NBA teams who makes sure everyone knows they were totally seriously trying to make deals, you guys, OK? Someone or multiple someones in the front office believe it makes the Warriors look better to reveal that they failed at all their plans, as opposed to not having any serious ones to begin with.
Who knows how far their exploration went, but in the end, the Warriors couldn’t outmaneuver the Jazz or convince Jackson living in San Francisco is superior to Salt Lake City. Or even Atherton — Steph Curry is there to guard against middle-class homeowners.
Assuming Jackson was really a possibility at all, more than an “MDJ + JJJ” doodle in Mike Dunleavy Junior’s journal.
