The Golden State Warriors hosted the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler on Tuesday night, leading to a disappointing 114-98 blowout defeat.
The Warriors’ record promptly dropped to 18-18 as they are currently fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
Stephen Curry’s 31 points and eight three-pointers did little to impact the final outcome.
The rest of his team shot 18.1% from distance on 33 attempts while Miami’s All-Star center Bam Adebayo dominated down low, finishing with an efficient 19 points on 64.2% shooting from the floor to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
Adebayo’s performance did plenty to remind the Warriors’ front office and general manager Mike Dunleavy that their current center rotation cannot handle the rest of the league’s most gifted frontcourt talents.
In an attempt to resolve this issue, recent reports have indicated that Dunleavy has kept tabs on and held discussions regarding a trade for a surging All-Star center from the Chicago Bulls, Nikola Vucevic.
“One of the players that has been on the Warriors’ radar since the start of the season has been Nikola Vucevic, a player the Chicago Bulls are willing to move at a cheaper price than many would expect before the trade deadline,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel wrote Wednesday evening.
“Vucevic is obtainable for multiple second-round assets, which is why there are a few other teams besides Golden State that have inquired about the veteran center.”
“This is exactly the type of center the Warriors need right now, even though he can be a liability at times on defense.”
“From an offensive perspective, Vucevic checks off all the boxes.”
At 34 years old, Vucevic is enjoying a resurgent season for Chicago, averaging 20.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists to go along with a blistering 42.4% efficiency from three-point range.
The 6-foot-10 center exactly fits the bill of the Warriors’ desired center archetype, with his career-best three-point shooting providing Golden State’s free-flowing offense with a frontcourt star that can stretch the floor.
Vucevic is playing well enough that Dunleavy could give up a haul to Chicago in exchange, with a proposed trade sending established NBA champions Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II along with Moses Moody to the Bulls with second-round draft capital.
While it would be difficult to part ways with their veteran role players and former No. 14 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, landing Vucevic could be exactly what Golden State needs to keep Curry and Draymond Green’s window to championship No. 5 open.
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