NBA Rumors: Warriors Linked To Two Big Man Trade Candidates

As the Golden State Warriors continue their slog through the regular season with a .500 record, there's a strong belief around the team that, if they're healthy, they really aren't that far away from being able to defend their NBA title admirably come the playoffs.

Which is why, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, they likely won't be doing anything "seismic" at the trade deadline. He does, however, link the team to two centers, one seismically-sized, who they could be looking at to come in in a backup role.

(Jakob) Poeltl or (Kelly) Olynyk would be clear (rotation) upgrades.

Noting that the Dubs already have a set starting five, and a superb Sixth Man, he says they'd love to bring in a Poeltl or an Olynyk, which would be clear rotation upgrades over JaMychal Green and James Wiseman.

The fact that Poeltl, an impending free agent, would only be a rental for a couple of months, and Olynyk has only a $3M partial guarantee for next season, would actually be a selling point for the Warriors, who "are facing a well-documented tax crunch and are uninterested in adding committed salary beyond this season, which eliminates many of the league’s other trade options."

But no, they aren't actively shopping any of their young pieces in return, and that includes Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, according to Slater.

This certainly isn't the first time the Warriors have been linked to Poeltl. He was squarely on their radar at last year's trade deadline, and he's been the topic of conversation on Warriors Twitter all season. He hasn't fared well against the Dubs recently, and fans don't seem to want any part of him.

Funny how the Warriors exposed his weaknesses all night tonight. All of the fanbase needs to stfu about adding bigs to the Warriors. Especially Poeltl. 😂 https://t.co/T9cnfvtVcI
— BRYANT (@bryant_gotgame) January 14, 2023