© Stan Szeto | 2020 Jan 8
Less than 15 hours before the NBA’s trade deadline, the Warriors elected to flip two players on expiring contracts for a package for picks.
According to reports from Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers sent three second-round picks to Golden State in exchange for Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III. All three picks were draft capital the Sixers acquired in previous trades.
Less than two weeks ago, the Warriors traded center Willie Cauley-Stein to Dallas for Utah’s second rounder. Golden State now holds five second-round picks over the next three years. Before making the trades, the Warriors had one second-round pick over the next seven.
The Warriors now have four open roster spots. It’s an NBA requirement that teams fill vacant roster spots in the two weeks after a trade, giving Golden State until Saturday to replace Cauley-Stein. The likely candidate is Marquese Chriss, who had a roster spot before he was released only a month ago, and then re-signed on a two-way deal. The Warriors will have more time to figure out how to replace Robinson and Burks for the time being, and are not required to fill the still vacant 15th roster spot, as they must avoid the hard cap.
Both Burks and Robinson are unrestricted free agents next season; free agents that the Warriors had already determined they were not willing to pay.
Burks, 28, is averaging a career-high in points per game (16.1), good for second on the team behind D’Angelo Russell. Robinson, 26, is also experiencing a career season, averaging personal bests in points (12.9), rebounds (4.7) and field goal percentage (48%), while also leading the team in three-point shooting (40%).
Both will provide reliable scoring options off the bench for a Sixers team trying to climb the ladder in a suddenly crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture.
