Warriors Potentially Linked to Gary Trent Jr.?
The trade rumor mill is certainly spinning quick as the Warriors continue to flounder. Their most recent contest against the Phoenix Suns saw them play a strong first half, but ultimately a lack of presence from Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson shooting them out of the game wasted an excellent 50 point performance from Steph Curry.
One of the more recent rumors? The Warriors could be in the market for some bench guard depth. Per Jack Simone of Heavy.com, that depth may be Gary Trent Jr., currently playing for the Toronto Raptors. Trent is an offensive-oriented first-off-the-bench type of option which could generate some offense for a team that’s looking limited, although his true impact would be his defensive improvement, which the Raptors saw first-hand last season after acquiring him the season prior.
Looking at the potential price, however, gives some perspective on this deal. The proposed package would be Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, Donte DiVincenzo, and a 2028 first rounder; the short version is that’s just too costly for a guy who can go from microwave to non-factor offensively.
The Warriors’ biggest need right now is a solid point-of-attack defender that can navigate screens, and while Trent has shown some improvement on the defensive end, enough to be a contributor, his primary area of effect is in the passing lanes on that end of the floor. He likely doesn’t move the needle enough to give up DiVincenzo as a playmaker or defender, let alone Wiseman and Kuminga as well when both of those guys can probably net better returns elsewhere if they continue to struggle and a trade materializes.
There’s a myriad of other reasons aside from the cost that this deal ultimately doesn’t make sense. Poole and Thompson are having down years because of aggressiveness issues from the former, and poor shot selection from the latter. Adding Trent means you have one more mouth to feed possessions to, which will interrupt Poole and Thompson’s rhythms as they try to get back on track. Additionally, Trent’s offense is his real calling card: He’s a serviceable defender, but the team doesn’t need just serviceable, they need him to be a primary option.
If there’s a trade offer in the Warriors’ future that nets them a point-of-attack defender who can navigate screens and stick to guards in a guard-heavy league, then it might be worth exploring a trade there. Other than that, deals like Trent could incur the opposite of the intended result. This trade doesn’t address an area of need, meaning there’s no reason to sell assets to make it happen.
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