NBA Rumors: Warriors Could Acquire Domantas Sabonis Using Trade Exception And 1st-Round Pick, Per ‘NBC Sports’
The Golden State Warriors may have already revealed their plan to keep Andrew Wiggins on the team, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t continue to look for roster upgrades in the 2020 NBA offseason. Though they currently have four starting-caliber players – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, and Draymond Green – on their roster, they still obviously need some help at the center position. Over the past months, the Warriors have been linked to several big men who are expected to be available during free agency and the trade market this summer, including Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers.
Sabonis may have good chemistry with Myles Turner this season, but most people are still expecting the Pacers to choose between the two big men in the 2020 offseason. If the Pacers decide to let Sabonis go, Josh Schrock of NBC Sports suggested that the Warriors could use the $17.2 million trade exception they created from trading Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies and their own 2020 first-round pick as trade chips to acquire the All-Star big man this summer.
“The Indiana Pacers almost certainly would hang up if the Warriors came calling for their young, star center. But if the Warriors want to make the most out of the $17.2 million trade exception they might as well swing for the fences. The 24-year-old center took a leap season, averaging 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and five assists while shooting 54 percent from the field. If the Warriors aren’t sold on any prospects atop a weak draft, they could try and flip the pick along with the exception to the Pacers for a young center who can help them win now and be a building block for the future.”
Sabonis may not be the legitimate NBA superstar most Warriors’ fans are hoping to acquire in exchange for their 2020 first-round pick, but he isn’t a bad acquisition at all for Golden State. When given enough playing time, Sabonis proved that he could be a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. This season when he earned his first NBA All-Star recognition, the 24-year-old center is establishing a very impressive performance, averaging 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 54.0 percent from the field.
Though he is yet to fully unlock his three-point shooting skills, Sabonis has shown on several occasions that he’s capable of spacing the floor. Adding Sabonis to the core of Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, and Green would undeniably give the Warriors a better chance of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title in the 2020-21 season.
