With Klay Thompson set to be on the sideline for a long period of time, the Golden State Warriors will need to take a tougher road to reclaim their throne and revive their dynasty in the 2020-21 NBA season. Luckily, with a plethora of precious trade assets, the Warriors could still make major roster upgrades to give Stephen Curry and Draymond Green the necessary help they need before the 2021 trade deadline. One of the players the Warriors could target on the trade market is Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers.
In a recent article, Greg Patuto of NBA Analysis Network suggested a blockbuster deal that would allow Golden State to form a “Big Three” of George, Curry, and Green in the 2020-21 NBA season. In the proposed scenario, the Warriors would be sending a package that includes Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2025 first-round pick to the Clippers in exchange for George.
“Paul George being sent to the Golden State Warriors would completely shake up the Western Conference. This is a trade that would solidify the backcourt of Golden State with Klay Thompson on the shelf. This would allow the Warriors to unload some of their assets. Los Angeles would get back three first-round picks in this deal. That would go a long way in replenishing assets that they lost when they acquired George. Andrew Wiggins would be the biggest name pairing up with Kawhi Leonard, along with Kevon Looney.”
The suggested deal should be a no-brainer for Golden State, especially if they are serious about fully dominating the loaded Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title next year. George may have gone through plenty of ups and downs in his first year in Los Angeles, but he remains one of the best two-way players in the league. His arrival in Golden State would allow the Warriors to fill the huge void left by Thompson on both ends of the floor.
He would give them a very reliable scoring option next to Curry, as well as a rebounder, playmaker, floor-spacer, and a lockdown defender. Last season, the 30-year-old shooting guard averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN .
As of now, the Clippers haven’t shown any strong indication that they are planning to move George. They just gave him a massive contract extension, which would prevent him from hitting the free agency market in the summer of 2021. However, if he fails to show massive improvement in his game next year, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Clippers do the same thing they did with Blake Griffin and send him to another team before the 2021 trade deadline.
