When the Golden State Warriors acquired guard Kelly Oubre Jr. before this season, he was supposed to help the team through another year without G Klay Thompson.
That’s not exactly how the campaign unfolded, however. While Oubre flashed talent and had his moments in a Warriors uniform, his playing style never fully meshed with superstar guard Stephen Curry. Oubre is scheduled to be a free agent this summer, so one might figure the Warriors aren’t interested in re-signing him.
But that’s likely not the case. Oubre could net the Warriors another player via a potential sign-and-trade deal, similar to the Kevin Durant trade maneuvered by general manager Bob Myers when it was clear that Durant was leaving the Bay Area. That deal brought guard DeAngelo Russell, who in turn was dealt for Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who is a key piece in Golden State moving forward.
Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests that the salary-cap stretched Warriors could even overpay Oubre to entice him into such an agreement.
Still, the Warriors should try to re-sign him so they can keep him as a trade asset. They might even want to massively overpay Oubre — perhaps north of $20 million a year — to entice him into a sign-and-trade.
Connor Letourneau/San Francisco Chronicle
Letourneau also notes that if no player is available via this hypothetical trade, the Warriors could receive a sizable trade exemption in return.
With Golden State in desperation mode to build a formidable team around Curry, no stone can be left unturned in player acquisition. When Myers acquired Oubre for a protected first round pick and a second round pick, he likely looked forward to this possible scenario and is ready to act on it. (Note: with the Warriors in the NBA Draft lottery, Golden State relinquished two second-round picks for Oubre.)
Now the question is: will Oubre go along with such a scenario? That’s why Letourneau suggests the Warriors could overpay. With Curry’s brilliance still bright, Golden State will li be willing to pay any price to put more playoff-ready players around the Baby Faced Assassin.
(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
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