After superstar forward Kevin Durant agreed to sign with the Golden State Warriors on Monday, the Warriors had some work to do. They needed to dump some salaries in order to clear cap space, which they’ll use to sign Durant to a two-year, $54 million deal. The first step they took was renouncing restricted free agents Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli. This will allow Barnes and Ezeli to walk as unrestricted free agents, taking their salary figures off of Golden State’s books. Even before the Warriors did that, Barnes already agreed to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. But now, the Warriors have taken a crucial step: Marc Stein of ESPN reported on Monday afternoon that Golden State is trading its starting center, Andrew Bogut, to Dallas, for essentially nothing but cap space:
Dallas and Golden State have agreed to an Andrew Bogut trade, sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 4, 2016
The trade to send Bogut into Dallas salary cap space, sources said, can't be officially completed until the league moratorium ends July 7
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 4, 2016
Andrew Bogut Traded to Dallas Mavericks
The trade cannot be completed until the NBA‘s moratorium period ends on July 7th. The Warriors are asking Dallas to take on Bogut’s $11 million salary for next season, which the Mavs can do, since they still have plenty of cap space. The Mavs don’t need to send anything especially meaningful back to Golden State in return; all Dallas will give up in the trade is a future second round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Bogut will replace Dallas’s incumbent starting center, Zaza Pachulia, who is an unrestricted free agent and may leave the Mavericks. The Mavs chased flashier free agent centers, such as Hassan Whiteside, but they ultimately failed to lure any big names to Dallas.
Bogut averaged 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game last season for the Warriors. While his numbers are unspectacular, his defensive contributions go beyond the box score. Golden State missed Bogut’s interior presence when he was out with a knee injury during the last three games of the 2016 NBA Finals, when the Warriors blew a 3-1 series lead and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bogut’s lengthy injury history, however, may be a concern for the Mavericks. Recently re-signed reserve big man Dwight Powell may be an integral contributor next season, if Bogut suffers any long-term injuries.
As much as the league is going small, defensive-minded centers such as Bogut will always be valuable. This trade makes sense for both sides, and it will be fascinating to watch how the Warriors fill out the rest of their roster, now that the seeds have been planted for them to sign Durant.
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