With Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen waiting until after Aug. 6 to sign his contract extension, the Golden State Warriors have now missed out on another star trade target.
First, it was Mikal Bridges, who had underwhelmed as the Brooklyn Nets’ go-to player. Bridges is now heading to the New York Knicks thanks to a pick-heavy trade package. Then it was Paul George, who the team pushed for after it became clear that he wouldn’t get the extension he wanted from the Los Angeles Clippers. George has left the West Coast altogether, choosing to sign a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Warriors are also rumored to have interest in Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler. Minnesota Timberwolves forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns has been linked to Golden State for a while. There hasn’t been any indication that offers for Butler or Towns have been made. Nonetheless, the Warriors have insisted that signing Buddy Hield wouldn’t be their only big move.
As a result, there’s a thought that Golden State could target one of perhaps the two most talented players on the trade block: Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram.
Yet, they’ve “shown no appetite to enter the (LaVine) or (Ingram) market,” per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Anthony Slater, and Tony Jones.
Both LaVine and Ingram have averaged over 23 points per game while shooting over 37 percent from 3 since 2019-20.
Warriors Have ‘No Appetite’ For Stars On Trade Block
Zach LaVine
At some point, the discourse surrounding LaVine changed from positive to negative. Once heralded for his insane athleticism and superb shot-making, he’s now viewed as a player with empty stats.
This is largely due to the fact that LaVine’s teams have rarely been in postseason contention. To that point, the 10-year veteran has only played four playoff games. As a player who holds the ball a touch too long on offense and doesn’t play with consistent effort defensively, there’s some truth to the idea that LaVine doesn’t have optimal winning habits.
Yet, the Warriors are the only team he would’ve been on with an in-built winning culture. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves and Bulls are often characterized as dysfunctional. Similar to the change in focus seen in Andrew Wiggins, playing for a title-contending team could’ve brought out the best in him.
That being said, LaVine isn’t coming off the trade block anytime soon. With the Bulls shifting to a rebuild, they would rather move the 29-year-old. If the Warriors do ever take a flyer on the high-flyer, he’ll be available. Furthermore, though Klay Thompson’s departure has made fans want to retire the ‘Splash Brother’ nickname, LaVine would give Golden State ‘Splash Triplets.’
Brandon Ingram
The commonality between Ingram and LaVine is that teams don’t want to pay them at a premium. The two stars want A-List contracts but are B-List players. The result is them being discussed like C-Listers; players who are good but not good enough to take them over the top.
As with LaVine, there’s a bit of truth to the concept. An eight-year veteran, Ingram has just 10 playoff games under his belt. This is partially due to him playing for weaker teams. However, Ingram’s inconsistency on the perimeter —offensively and defensively —was also a factor.
As it relates to the Warriors’ disinterest in an Ingram trade, the biggest problem may have been his play style though. Ingram, thriving in the midrange, is somewhat of a throwback scorer. The Warriors, the face of basketball analytics, like to limit as many of those shots as possible.
