The Warriors are desperately seeking additional firepower, which will put them in direct trade competition with the Pistons. Although the two teams are in very different positions this season - the Pistons have a comfortable lead in the East while the Warriors are fighting for play-in position in the West - both rely on their star guards heavily. Just as the Pistons are seeking more support for Cade Cunningham, the Warriors will be looking to ease the load on Stephen Curry.
The Warriors and Pistons will have the same trade needs
After Jimmy Butler’s recent ACL tear, the Warriors are left without a proven secondary scorer. There’s only so much that Steph Curry can do on his own; he’s averaging an efficient 27 points per game but the Warriors are just the 8th seed. Their situation is getting desperate if they want to make any real noise in the playoffs as Curry’s best years wind down.
Both the Warriors and Pistons should be searching all possible avenues to add offensive help for their superstars. But the Warriors’ situation is clearly more desperate due to their position in the standings and Curry’s age. They have control of most upcoming draft picks and could dangle some of those to bring in a big name.
The Pistons will understandably be more cautious and seek cheaper trade options. But the mutual need for more shooting and secondary creation could make these two teams rivals even in smaller pursuits.
Butler’s injury has made the Warriors’ limitations this season all the more obvious. Without a big trade, they’ll be lucky to win even one playoff series let alone contend for a title. That’s why they’ve often been mentioned as potential suitors for all the biggest trade targets.
There are multiple trade candidates, such as Trey Murphy III and Michael Porter Jr, who could be the Pistons’ final missing piece. But anytime a report comes out about one of them, the Warriors’ interest can’t be ignored. For Golden State, a blockbuster trade package would likely be centered around draft picks, Jonathan Kuminga and potentially even the injured Butler as salary filler.
Given the value of the picks from an aging team, that’ll be a tough package for the Pistons to beat. Although they have their own picks as well, other teams will wisely view those as less valuable because the Pistons are set to be a top East team for years to come. And the Pistons will be reluctant to part with a true young building block such as Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson that could really sweeten the deal.
The Warriors’ insertion into the trade landscape proves the complexity of the modern NBA. It won’t be enough for the Pistons to make desirable trade offers, they must also beat out opposing suitors like the Warriors.