Bob Myers did it again.
With extremely limited flexibility due to the Warriors’ inflated luxury tax bill, the “swindle god” was somehow able to improve Golden State — essentially swapping James Wiseman for Gary Payton II — and save money in the process.
Still, the Warriors didn’t necessarily make a splash. However, it wasn’t for lack of trying. According to Warriors reporter C.J. Holmes, Myers and Co. made a push to trade for talented Raptors wing OG Anunoby, but the asking price was too high. What’s too high? Apparently a package that included Jonathan Kuminga.
It’s a newsworthy piece of information, showing that the organization values Kuminga enough to pass up an opportunity to improve in the short term. They clearly didn’t feel that way about Wiseman, and reportedly not about Moody either, as he was reported to be part of the Anunoby conversations as well.
While the Warriors’ moves will pale in comparison to some of the big names that moved around during the deadline, what they did could prove extremely significant. Keep in mind, a big reason the Warriors have been worse this year is due to the absence of GP2 and Otto Porter Jr., two of their biggest bench contributors last year along with Jordan Poole.
Now Payton is back, and Donte DiVincenzo — albeit a different type of player — is possibly an upgrade over Porter. The starting lineup is still in tact, and still one of the best in the NBA. Poole remains the wild card, but if he can find the consistency he did in the playoffs last year, it would seem the Warriors have a punchers chance to contend once again.
Anunoby is a talented 3-and-D wing and only 25 years old. He’s averaging a shade under 17 points per game while shooting 36% from 3 this season.
