The Golden State Warriors may have added Dario Saric to their roster this summer, but they’re still lacking in size. Currently, the Warriors have no one on their roster that’s taller than 6’10”. According to Bleacher Report’s staff writers, Golden State could find themselves benefitting from the Philadelphia 76ers’ current turmoil.
It hasn’t been long since Ben Simmons was refusing to play in Philadelphia. Now, it’s James Harden who is trying to force his way out of the franchise. With so much drama surrounding the Sixers, questions are starting to arise regarding Joel Embiid‘s long-term future in the City of Brotherly Love.
According to Bleacher Report’s staff writers, the Warriors could find themselves in a position to try and poach Embiid from Philadelphia, should he become disgruntled and request a trade. However, the trade proposal put on offer would mean losing considerable depth from Golden State’s rotation – in multiple positions.
Proposed trade send Joel Embiid to the Warriors: The trade package
Bleacher Report’s trade proposal looks like this:
Warriors receive: Joel Embiid, PJ Tucker
76ers receive Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, a 2027 first-round pick swap, a 2028 first-round pick, and a 2029 first-round pick swap.
While the Warriors would be paying a high price for Embiid’s services, it’s no less than the Sixers should expect for the reigning MVP.
Proposed trade send Joel Embiid to the Warriors: The reasoning
Here is the reasoning from Bleacher Report’s staff, as to why the both sides would be willing to make the deal.
“Jonathan Kuminga is no sure thing to deliver on the promise of being the seventh overall pick in 2021. But as the Warriors’ best prospect, he’d have to be included as well. The Warriors are including Chris Paul here for salary-matching purposes. He’s owed no guaranteed money next season, and the Sixers could get creative with his $30.8 million salary coming off the books. Losing Wiggins would be a blow to the Warriors’ point-of-attack defense, but they would have to bet on 38-year-old P.J. Tucker and better health from Gary Payton II making up for it.
And the Dubs would suddenly be short a backup point guard who could provide offensive punch…The reigning MVP would give the Warriors elite mid- and low-post scoring, which would be especially valuable when their motion offense gets bogged down in the playoffs. And having Kevon Looney as a backup center could prove crucial considering Embiid’s injury history.”
Proposed trade send Joel Embiid to the Warriors: Should the Warriors make this trade?
The opportunity to acquire an MVP-level talent doesn’t present itself very often. It’s even more rare for that talent to fit your team’s biggest position of need. Trading for Embiid would hurt Golden State’s depth and add injury risk to an already aging roster.
Nevertheless, Embiid wouldn’t just raise the ceiling for Golden State, he would smash right through it. A Steph Curry and Embiid pick-and-roll would be the stuff of nightmares. While the hulking big-mans pick-and-pop game would provide additional wrinkles for Klay Thompson to attack.
On the defensive end, the partnership between Embiid and Draymond Green would be stringent, forcing teams into lose-lose situations on multiple possessions per game.
Giving up Wiggins, Paul, Kuminga, and some potential pick swaps to land Embiid should be a no-brainer for Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors front office. If Morey is willing to bite on that [hypothetical] deal, then it’s a trade you make every time.
