Trading Post

Only thirty-seven shopping days left till the NBA trade deadline, and the rumors are flying hot and heavy. Darryl Morey is offering Tracy McGrady far and wide; the Wolves and Pacers either have or haven't discussed a Jefferson/Granger swap; most intriguingly, there are whispers of a Bosh/Bynum trade that would turn about eight different teams' offseason plans upside down. It's a fun time of year. But can our woeful Dubs take part in this fun, and if so, how? We've already identified one player we don't want; is there anyone worth adding or shedding?

Today, we're going to channel our inner Simmons and walk through trade possibilities between the Warriors and every other damn team. Before we get started, let's establish some ground rules.

1) We will not discuss any trade that the other team simply wouldn't consider making. I want Chris Paul, too... we don't live in that world.

2) We will not trade Anthony Randolph under any circumstances, as his actual value far exceeds his current perceived value.

3) We will not look to add any player whose contract extends past 2011, barring unusual circumstances. Our planning competitive window should still be 2011-12; given our current crappiness and uncertainty, it's not worth adding anyone who will interfere with that window.

4) We will not make a trade designed solely to help us this year, unless we can do so at no cost.

5) We should err on the side of not making a trade, if one looks like a close call. While team chemistry should not guide our thinking, we should not disrupt the bizarrely upbeat atmosphere of the current locker room unless we have a good reason to.

6) The one exception to the previous rule: C.J. Watson, who seems likely to leave this summer via free agency. Trading CJ is a worthwhile endeavor, even if it hurts some feelings.

Let's dive in and see what, if anything, the Warriors should look to do with each team.

Atlanta: hard to see a fit here. The Hawks have definite depth issues, as they're getting very little from anyone outside of their top six... on the other hand, they don't really have anything interesting to offer us other than late-round future firsts. And while Jeff Teague has been struggling, the Hawks already shoot the three quite well, so they wouldn't be as motivated to add a CJ type as other contenders might be.

Boston: a similar situation, as the Celts don't have many intriguing assets they'd be willing to move. There is one interesting possibility you could construct here, that being Corey Maggette for three '10 expirings... you can see why both teams would at least consider this, as Boston could use another good player, and we could get out from under Maggette's contract now. Ultimately, though, I don't think either team would pull the trigger on that. Boston won't want to spend that much on a third swingman behind Allen and Pierce, and the optics on our end would be unbearably depressing for both the Warrior players and fanbase.

Charlotte: no real fit. They could use another big, but we, to put it mildly, don't have one to spare.

Chicago: one of the more interesting potential trade partners with us long-term, as you could envision some sort of Monta/Maggette for Deng/Hinrich challenge swap if both teams get sick of their rosters. In the short term, though, it's hard to justify shooting for anything big here. The one possible move here is little: C.J. Watson for a '10 first-round pick. If the Bulls want to shoot for the playoffs this year (and incredibly, they're in eighth place in the East), they could really use a backup PG and three-point shooter. This deal would give them that, and also free them from having to devote some precious 2010 cap space to a rookie. We get an extra draft pick that will be no lower than 18th for a guy that was headed out of town anyway. This deal only gets discussed if the Bulls decide to make a push, and is a longshot even then. But it's a deal we should push for.

Cleveland: no real fit. It's tempting to try to align a Maggette/Z deal, but the Cavs are (quite rightly) looking for a guy who can stretch the floor for them, and that ain't Maggette.

Dallas: no obvious fit; they could use a swing, but Erick Dampier's instant-expiring deal is too valuable to use on Maggette.

Denver: nothing doing here. The Nuggets would love to add a big, and it'd be great if we could snag Renaldo Balkman as a reclamation project, but we can't offer a big as good as he is. He must have really pissed someone off, because on a statistical level, he seems a lot like the guy they've been looking for.

Detroit: the Pistons are shopping Tayshaun Prince, and we should certainly be listening. Maggette for Prince works salary-wise and gives them a healthy and more productive small forward; CJ would also appeal as a throw-in, as their team 3PT% is an execrable .292. And for us, shedding the last two years of Maggette's deal is a good enough outcome to make Prince a worthwhile gamble, as he's a guy who'd really help us if healthy. The Pistons are hoping to trade Prince for a big man, but it's hard to imagine them pulling that off, given his injuries. If Maggette stays hot and they get desperate, a deal's not impossible here.

Houston: no obvious fits here, and you have to cringe at the idea of our braintrust negotiating with Darryl Morey. Note to Larry Riley: if you see an incoming call from the 713 area code, don't pick it up.

Indiana: nothing doing. They do have a bunch of contracts that expire in 2011, but a team built around Danny Granger wouldn't want Corey Maggette, and good Lord, do we not want Mike Dunleavy or Troy Murphy.

LA Clippers: Today's sad Blake Griffin news may potentially change their thinking, but our teams don't match up well trade-wise. Baron's return to form, Curry's disappointing playmaking and Monta's clear need for a passer to set him up might make you think twice; in a weaker moment, you may look at something like Baron and DeAndre Jordan for Maggette and Curry and talk yourself into it. But in the cold light of reality, Baron's contract is a nightmare, a far worse contract than Maggette's. We must refrain.

LA Lakers: they'd sure love a Turiaf type, but they'd have nothing to give us even if he were healthy. No fits here.

Memphis: another team that could use CJ but can't offer much in return. They're less likely than Chicago to offer a pick, as they're more interested in stockpiling talent than creating cap space.

Miami: they're not going to trade for any non-expiring contract, and if anything will try to offload Michael Beasley. We wouldn't win those sweepstakes if they happened, and he's not exactly setting the world on fire, anyway.

Milwaukee: nothing here. A few weeks ago, we suggested possibly taking on Michael Redd's contract in exchange for dumping Maggette. Maggette's trade value may have increased to the point where swallowing a contract like that shouldn't be necessary. On the other hand, it wouldn't be the worst thing to have an $18-million-dollar expiring deal a year from now. Maggette and Speedy for Redd certainly wouldn't be a fun trade in the short term, but should not be rejected out of hand, either. It's a deal that would put us in the discussion for any superstar on the trading block next year; that's not a trivial thing.

Minnesota: okay, this one's interesting.

If there's any NBA team that should be falling all over itself to trade for the rights to Ricky Rubio, it's us. We can certainly afford to wait, he'd be a good fit for what we do, and he's a player who has the potential to bring out the best in Monta Ellis, and we have plenty of young pieces to offer in return. But David Kahn insists he won't trade the rights to Rubio, and while you can't necessarily take what he says at face value, you'd have to imagine the odds are against it.

However, there's no question that Kahn is willing to trade Ramon Sessions. Sessions has had a poor year, as the Wolves pretty clearly signed him only to trade him and haven't used him well. His trade value is extremely low right now. But Sessions is a very good player on a below-market contract, and critically for our purposes, he is a genuine point guard. His career assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.76 to 1; Baron's is 2.62 to 1.

You can probably see where I'm going with this: we should trade Stephen Curry for Ramon Sessions. Not straight up... I think that even that would be a good trade for us, but given Curry's moderate luster and Sessions's lack thereof, we can probably wrangle a little extra value here. Stephen Curry, Devean George and Vladimir Radmanovic for Ramon Sessions and Corey Blount would not only turn Curry into Sessions, but rid us of Vlad next year, as well. (Technically, this would have to be two trades, as both Vlad and Blount can't be combined with other players.)

Most Warriors fans would cry foul about giving up on Curry so quickly, and I can understand why. But we wouldn't simply be giving up on a young player here. We'd also be adding one (Sessions is only 23), one who's much more likely to play effectively alongside Monta Ellis. Our star player needs an excellent passer alongside him to be effective; this is a perfect opportunity to get him one.

There is one big issue here: Sessions, like Monta, is not a three-point shooter. A hypothetical Sessions/Monta/Maggette/Randolph/Biedrins lineup would feature zero players who are consistent threats from distance, and that's a genuine problem. As such, this trade only makes sense if it's achieved in concert with a Maggette trade that gets another three-point threat into our regular lineup. (An improved three-point stroke from Monta would also help, but that's true in any scenario.)

New Jersey: not seeing anything here. I'm not an Yi guy.

New Orleans: a Maggette/Peja swap, with our expirings covering the difference, has long made sense. But with Maggette's rising value, I think we'd be well-served to ask for a little more. Maggette, Speedy and CJ for Peja, Darren Collison and Ike Diogu not only nets us Peja's $13.3M '11 expiring deal, but a young point guard prospect under team control that can push Curry going forward. The Hornets get a big upgrade on the wing in Maggette, financial relief both this year (in Speedy's insurance-covered deal) and next (in a lower payroll), and the pain of giving up on Collison is mitigated by the addition of CJ, a perfect backup for CP3. Make the call, Riley.

New York: no dice. At this point, if we want to trade Maggette for an '11 expiring, we can do better than Eddy Curry.

Oklahoma City: no real fits. God, they're in good shape going forward.

Orlando: the Magic and CJ made kissy-faces at each other all summer, but with Jason Williams's bizarre resurgence, they probably don't feel much need now. No fits.

Philadelphia: the Sixers are shopping Iguodala a bit, and they'll give you Samuel Dalembert as soon as look at you. In some ways, a Monta/Maggette/Speedy for Iguodala/Dalembert swap would be interesting, as it clears future payroll and nets us a star two who passes and (IMO) defends better than our current one. But really, that's the kind of trade you make for the sake of making a trade; it doesn't upgrade us obviously enough to merit the chaos it'd engender. A lot of interesting possibilities here, but I think both teams would, and should, hold off.

Phoenix: no real fits. Boy, as injured and bad as Biedrins has been, I'm glad we didn't trade for Amar'e.

Portland: the good version of us, the Blazers could use frontcourt help above all else. No match.

Sacramento: no fit. They're shopping Kevin Martin, but he's the exact kind of player we don't need; when it comes to big scorers who can't defend to save their lives, we're all set.

San Antonio: nothing here, really. They might find Maggette interesting, as they tried to sign him two years ago, but acquiring him would entail sending expiring bench pieces that they simply can't spare.

Toronto: we should certainly be willing to give up a lot for Chris Bosh, but if Andrew Bynum's on the table (and I think he absolutely is), we're not going to enter into the conversation.

Utah: a team that's desperate to deal, and as discussed, a team we should be talking to. Maggette, Speedy and CJ for Kirilenko and Ronnie Price isn't the kind of trade they've probably been envisioning, but that doesn't mean they'd necessarily reject it out of hand, either; it saves them a bunch of money this year and next, they're another team that showed interest in Maggette two years ago, and CJ would represent a big upgrade behind Deron. If this isn't enough to make them listen, it's worth putting guys like Wright and Azubuike on the table, as much as it'd hurt. Andrei Kirilenko is a very good player who does all the things we need and whose big-money contract expires in 2011; of all the NBA players that we could even conceivably acquire, he's the best target.

Washington: nothing doing here, either. We'd obviously love to swap Maggette for Caron Butler just to reduce our future commitments, but that's the exact opposite of what the Wizards are looking to do.

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The moves we should look at, in order of preference:

1) Maggette, Speedy & CJ for Kirilenko & Price

2) Maggette for Prince

3) Maggette, Speedy & CJ for Peja, Collison & Diogu

4) Curry, Radmanovic & George for Sessions & Blount

5) CJ for a first-round pick

While it's disappointing on an entertainment level, not many moves make sense for us right now. Beyond shopping Maggette and CJ and possibly looking for a point guard, we need to focus on figuring out what we have, not what we could trade it for.