The Golden State Warriors haven’t spent much of the last decade forced to choose between two less-than-ideal options, but time eventually lays low all dynasties and the Dubs are doing what they can to fight it off for a couple more seasons.
Stephen Curry will play next year at 36, and while he has a game built on shooting and skill that should age better than most, the Warriors’ championship window with Curry as their best player probably won’t remain open for long — assuming it isn’t shut already.
That realization has led to meaningful change in the Bay Area already this summer, including the departure of four-time champion Klay Thompson as well as the additions of De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson to what is now among the deepest rosters in the NBA. But that roster likely isn’t top-heavy enough with star talent to compete against the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and a handful of other potent Western Conference opponents.
Enter Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz.
Golden State has been engaged with Utah for weeks in trade talks for Markkanen, but those discussions have stalled since mid-July. Markkanen, a 7-foot stretch big with All-Star offensive chops, doesn’t fit perfectly with the Warriors. However, he is the best player/fit currently on the market to put alongside Curry, bump Draymond Green to center and create a new version of the Warriors’ once-feared “death lineup.”
If the Dubs can’t land Markkanen, though, another less than perfect option to whom the Warriors might turn is former All-Star Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans, who is on the precipice of the final season of his $158 million contract.
Brandon Ingram Doesn’t Fit With Many NBA Teams, Warriors Could Be Exception
GettyBrandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report on Friday, August 2, compiled a list of five players he predicts will land with new teams ahead of the 2024-25 trade deadline on February 6 of next year.
“Ingram is a tricky trade candidate, because he needs a new contract by next season and has arguments for demanding a huge one,” Buckley wrote. “He is clearly worth a sizable investment, but he’s not a clear-cut candidate for a maximum contract (four years, $207.8 million on an extension now or five years and $269.1 million next summer). He also might be worth more to other teams than he is to New Orleans, since he isn’t the high-volume shooter or shutdown stopper the Pelicans would prefer to have alongside Zion Williamson.”
One problem in any trade for Ingram will be finding a suitor that makes sense where that kind of investment is concerned. The next two NBA drafts are loaded with talent, so any team hovering near the bottom of the league or somewhere in the middle with only moderate prospects of getting meaningfully better is a bad match.
Several teams with ostensibly enough talent to compete for a championship — such as the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks — are already well into, or nearing, the luxury tax due to their expensive rosters and/or don’t need a player like Ingram to move the needle, even if they can afford him.
That leaves squads like the Warriors or the Los Angeles Lakers, led by aging but still capable stars, who are trying to jump from contenders for playoff seeds in the Nos. 4-8 range to contenders for a title.
Warriors Need More Offense Alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green to Win at High Level
GettyDraymond Green (left) and Stephen Curry (right) of the Golden State Warriors.
Ingram doesn’t fit seamlessly alongside Curry in the Warriors’ motion-heavy offense. He doesn’t shoot a high volume of 3-pointers (36.2% on 3.7 attempts per game for his eight-year career) and he can be a ball-stopper at times.
Ingram is at his best with the basketball in his hands working in the mid-range, which isn’t an ideal offensive scenario in the Dubs’ system. That said, Ingram is a proven threat to make tough jump shots over quality defenders down the stretch of close games, including some evidence from past playoffs, which is the type of offense every team eventually needs at one point or another to achieve deep postseason runs.
For his career, Ingram averages 19.4 points per game (ppg), though he has been between 20.8-24.7 ppg in each of the past five campaigns stretching back to his sole All-Star appearance in 2019-20. His offensive prowess and the Warriors’ clear need for more star talent has led some NBA insiders to openly support a Golden State pursuit of Ingram.
“This is a young man that has proven that he can go out there and average 25 a night. He’s a bucket-getter,” ESPN analyst and former professional player Kendrick Perkins said on “NBA Today” on July 17. “He plays the most important position [the wing] in the game. And putting him alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green would actually put the Warriors back in the thick of things in the Western Conference.”
