The Golden State Warriors have been searching for another scoring punch this season. They’ve fallen short in multiple close contests and clearly lack the additional shot-maker and playmaker the roster needs to return to their previous level. Multiple reports have linked the Warriors front office with potentially entering the trade market to try and turn the franchise’s fortunes around.
However, in recent games, Golden State has been playing at a higher level. Yes, they’re still losing games. However, they are fighting on every possession and executing on both sides of the floor. As such, it’s unlikely Mike Dunleavy Jr. would part with any core member of the rotation.
According to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Warriors could acquire Zach LaVine without losing any of their primary rotation players. However, the deal would mean parting with Chris Paul and Moses Moody to make the money work and give the Chicago Bulls the young talent they’re looking for in a potential deal.
Proposed trades swaps Chris Paul for Zach LaVine: The trade package
Bleacher Report’s trade proposal looks like this:
Warriors receive: Zach LaVine
Bulls receive: Chris Paul, Moses Moody, Cory Joseph and 2026 & 2028 second-round picks via Atlanta.
The Warriors would be removing some significant guard depth to get this deal over the line. However, LaVine’s scoring and playmaking could be enticing to a roster that needs additional shot-making and creation.
Proposed trades swaps Chris Paul for Zach LaVine: The reasoning
Here is the reasoning provided by Buckley for why the Warriors would potentially make this trade.
“Golden State’s seasonlong search for a secondary scorer and shot-creator has so far come up empty, and it’s possible the Dubs get desperate enough to give the gig to LaVine,” Buckley wrote. “He has his flaws, but offensive production isn’t one of them. Entering this season, he was on a four-year run of averaging better than 24.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 triples.
If Chicago winds up moving LaVine, this is about as much as it should expect to extract. The primary motivation would be financial relief, as Paul’s $30 million salary for next season is non-guaranteed, and Joseph is owed nothing past the current campaign.”
Proposed trades swaps Chris Paul for Zach LaVine: Should the Warriors make this trade?
On paper, LaVine is the type of offensive creator the Warriors have been missing. He would also likely thrive in a role where he isn’t the primary option on offense and can slide into multiple different scoring and playmaking roles throughout a game.
However, LaVine’s five-year $215 million contract is a hefty price tag to absorb. He still has two more seasons remaining on the deal, with a third season as a player option. Adding the veteran guard to the roster would remove any flexibility the franchise has in the trade market.
Given the limitations LaVine would bring in terms of future flexibility, and the amount of guared depth the Warriors would be losing to get the deal over the line, the front office would have to be confident LaVine is the missing piece to the puzzle. Otherwise, they may be better served looking elsewhere or standing pat at the trade deadline.
