The Golden State Warriors have never shied away from pursuing big names since Joe Lacob bought the team. A disappointing 16-15 start to the season has done nothing to change that approach. According to a report
by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Dubs are “contemplating” trying to acquire Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis. When healthy, Davis has consistently been one of the best centers in the NBA. Of course, availability has always been a question for the seven-footer.
“I came on last week and I told you about what the Warriors are looking for,” Haynes said during a segment of NBA on Prime. “A big man. A rim running big man. Protect the paint. Lob threat. I was told they are contemplating making a case to acquire Anthony Davis as well. And so with that being said I was told Dallas is not that fascinated with what Golden State has on its books and so if the Golden State Warriors did really want to make a true play at Anthony Davis, they would likely have to acquire some more assets or involve another team.”
The Warriors would basically only have two paths to acquiring Davis. The simplest would be trading Jimmy Butler, who has an identical salary to Davis this season ($54,126,450). Previous reports have reiterated that Golden State has no plans to part with Draymond Green, but given how well Butler has played alongside Green’s offensive struggles, it’s worth pointing out that the Dubs could also acquire Davis by trading Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, and one of Moses Moody or Buddy Hield.
Golden State would likely be hesitant to give up multiple first-round picks for Davis given his sizable contract, which has two more guaranteed seasons after this one, and injury history. After all, Davis left the Mavs Christmas Day loss to the Warriors with a groin injury that will sideline him for at least the next couple of weeks. Still, the 32-year old has averaged 20.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game on 52.1%/32.3%/71.0% shooting in his 16 games with Dallas this season.
It’s not surprising that Dallas is uninterested in what Golden State has to offer. However, I’d frankly be hesitant to trade Butler for Davis in a one-for-one swap. If the Dubs feel similarly, then Davis may be a good enough piece for them to consider trading Green. In that scenario, the Warriors would likely aim to find teams willing to offer a first-round pick for Kuminga (Kings seem like the most likely candidate) and Green (Lakers?). At that point, the Warriors could add their own 2026 first-round pick to an offer that sent three first-round picks to the Mavericks.
Would salary cap space and three moderate-value first-round picks be enough to move the needle for Dallas? Or would the Dubs consider offering a post-Steph Curry first-round pick for Davis? It’s hard to know.
What would you be willing to give up for Davis? Let us know in the comments!
