The Golden State Warriors have reportedly identified Dallas Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford, Brooklyn Nets‘ Nic Claxton and Portland Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams as three potential trade targets ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.
Per insider Chris Haynes, the Warriors are seeking athletic bigs who can be a rim-running and shot-blocking presence, a profile that fits the aforementioned trio.
“The Warriors are buyers. I was told they are looking for size and athleticism,” Haynes said on Friday night’s “NBA on Prime” telecast. “Rebounding and block shots, they’re in the bottom half of the league. And points in the paint, they are dead last. So they’re looking for an athletic center.”
Haynes then proceeded to name Gafford, Claxton and Williams as prime targets.
“I was told they are really serious,” Haynes added. “They are trying to do everything they can to get this team back to a championship-contender level.”
Warriors Trade Targets Make Sense
The Warriors rank 17th in the league in opponent paint points allowed (50.8), 19th in rebounding (43.5) and 22nd in blocked shots per game (4.3). Furthermore, they are dead last in paint points (41.4), averaging nearly 15 fewer interior points than West rivals such as the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
As such, the Warriors could definitely use a quality rim protector who can complement Draymond Green in the front court, while having the ability to roll to the rim off misdirections and screens to generate easier interior offense. The Warriors recently inserted 7-footer Quinten Post into the starting unit, but the Dutch big man is more of a stretch-five and lacks the foot speed to be an adept rim runner.
Mavericks Listening to Gafford Offers
All three reported Warriors trade targets could be available ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline. While the Nets are reportedly open to moving all their veterans, including Claxton and Michael Porter Jr., the Trail Blazers are in a similar spot with Williams.
As for Gafford, ESPN’s Shams Charania noted recently that the Mavericks are gauging offers for Gafford, who is signed through the 2028-29 season on a budget-friendly deal. The athletic big man played a key role in helping the Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA Finals and has since been one of the most coveted centers in the league.
Insider Jake Fischer backed up Charania’s report, while noting that Gafford will attract suitors from across the league due to his cap-friendly $17.6M salary.
“Daniel Gafford is someone that I think is going to have a lot of interest around the league as well and might even be the most likely Mavericks player to be dealt because of his very manageable 18 million dollar average annual salary,” Fischer said. “He’s someone who kind of is in the middle of his prime that could be a pretty seamless fit timeline-wise for a lot of teams in the playoff mix.”
The Warriors, unlike teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, have up to three tradeable first-round picks to make a splash before the trade deadline. Furthermore, they are willing to shop Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield, per insiders, besides the most obvious candidate, Jonathan Kuminga.
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