A common theme of the Warriors season so far has been “one piece away”. While this is the kind of situation-fixing that would probably only get them a few wins back that they should have won this year, the sentiment is appropriate because there’s been a lot of moments where addressing at least one of their few glaring deficiencies would propel them back into the upper echelon.

The most sensible pickup would be a big wing who can defend and shoot. The problem is that those come at a premium asking price for non-contenders that have them, and other contenders have more desirable assets to pick a player like that up if they don’t already have one. In short, the Warriors would find it hard to be power players in a market for guys that fill the role they’re looking for, and that’s primarily due to availability.

That lack of availability doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, however.

The Utah Jazz, long thought to be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline now that they’ve regressed towards their expected performance this season, are rumored to be looking to offload some assets for a couple more picks in pursuit of a full rebuild. Two of those guys are Malik Beasley, a bigger guard who’s made his name in the league as a sharpshooter, and the guy the Warriors may want to take a closer look at: Jarred Vanderbilt.

Vando’s been in the league for 4 seasons now after being drafted 41st overall by the Orlando Magic in 2018. He stands at 6’9 with a 7’1 reach, and played college ball at Kentucky where he was scouted as both a monster rebounder and defensive savant. He’s been lauded through his career as a guy who can defend anywhere on the floor, and while he’s not the prototypical shooter or scorer Golden State may be in the market for, his passing acumen and handle at his size has shown he’s got requisite skills to be a play connector in the front court - something the Warriors’ second unit could make some great usage of.

Utah’s asking price is something the Warriors are well equipped to meet. It’d mean a contract offload of James Wiseman or Moses Moody, most likely, but both of those guys are also recent lottery picks and fit the “equivalent” of what the Jazz may be looking for. Throw in a second round pick or two to sweeten the pot, and the deal could very realistically get done.

There’s a big question mark when it comes to Vanderbilt, however, and that’s his place in the rotation. The smart thing would be to just have him replace Anthony Lamb, whose defensive mistakes are far more costly than the benefits his three-point shooting brings on the other end, but because Vanderbilt’s not a great shooter (34.5% from three this season on roughly 1 attempt a game), there’s plenty of concern that he may actually end up taking minutes from Jonathan Kuminga, who has been phenomenal in his role but has similar shooting struggles. It’d be a bad idea to play them together.

…Or would it?

This season, per NBA stats, JoKu is shooting 31% from three on just under 2 attempts a game. When we look at the month of January, however, as he’s come back from injury, he’s absolutely torching the nets at a clip of 58.3% from downtown on 2.4 attempts per game. His mechanics look more fluid, and it appears he’s found his rhythm from deep, which makes him a natural fit alongside a big wing who can’t shoot quite as well, but can pass, screen, rebound, and defend similarly.

It’s not like Vanderbilt’s shot is unfixable, either, as evidenced by his numbers. This season is his highest volume of attempted triples, and he’s putting them in at a career-high percentage that’s hovering a little below league average.

If Kuminga’s shot-making keeps up (or even levels out a bit because there’s almost no way his current numbers are sustainable), then playing two “non-shooters” together no longer becomes an issue because they both have some range, and Vanderbilt fits like a glove as a defensive paint presence who can switch anywhere.

With the biggest rotation question out of the way assuming Kuminga has indeed found something to run with in regard to his jumper, this deal becomes a no-brainer. The Warriors can pick up a rebounding machine (one who’s particularly good on the offensive glass, no less) who fits a positional gap in the middle and has the chops to be yet another play connector… Who’s still on contract for two years and costs as much as one of the players we’d think of as not quite ready. Vanderbilt has playoff experience with the Timberwolves last season as well, meaning a reduced role would probably be pretty comfortable for him in a postseason environment.

The short of it is that Jarred Vanderbilt is a very athletic, high-activity defender who can switch anywhere on the floor and crash the glass on either end. His lefty shot is developing, and he’s shown a lot of legit decision-making in the lane as a play connector. If the price is as low for this guy as reports say it is, Golden State should be making this call as soon as possible and locking in a deal: He’s the guy who fixes their “one piece away” problem.

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