The Golden State Warriors’ most recent loss occurred on Thursday night, when the Memphis Grizzlies set a franchise record with 27 three-pointers en route to a 144-93 victory. Golden State began flat-footed on both sides of the ball, and it remained that way until the last buzzer sounded, with few bright spots to detract from their effort.
Since the start of the season, many have wondered where the offense will come from other than Stephen Curry. 26 games into the season, the answer remains mostly unknown. Though Andrew Wiggins has played excellent basketball and established himself as the likely second option on most nights, the offense could benefit from more firepower. On the other side, the defense could use some help, since Wiggins’ efforts as a scorer detract from his tremendous defensive skill set.
Due to recent events and general uncertainty surrounding the Warriors’ predicament, general manager Mike Dunleavy may be interested in picking up the phone and contacting the Oklahoma City Thunder to potentially acquire their rising star, Jalen Williams. According to a new report, Williams may not be the best long-term match for Oklahoma City, as concerns have been raised about the 23-year-old’s ability to step up in important games for the current Western Conference No. 1 seed.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has firmly established himself as an MVP candidate, but whether he has a true co-star remains unclear,” wrote Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports on Thursday morning. “SGA is already 26, whereas Williams is only 23 years old and in his third season. The fact that Williams is already this good — 21/6/5 with diverse defense — makes him an obvious All-Star candidate. But can Williams develop into a more consistent star-level talent by the spring?
While Oklahoma City may not completely trust Williams as a constant backup to their MVP candidate, Gilgeous-Alexander, the Warriors could surely step in and offer the rising forward and Clutch Player of the Year candidate a chance to raise his game alongside to Curry and Draymond Green.
Williams is presently averaging 21.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, with a 55.2% effective field goal percentage. At this stage, Williams’ progression appears to be linear from his first season in 2022-23 to the present. This might make him the ideal trade target for a Golden State team looking to contend in the present while also building for the future.
In a potential deal to acquire the promising former All-Rookie selection, Golden State could possibly elect to swap Jonathan Kuminga out, or at the very least offer up Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and a fair amount of draft capital.
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