The Golden State Warriors’ abysmal season to this juncture was recently summed up by their 123-117 defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, as the club blew a 17-point first-half advantage to drop their record below .500 at 21-22.
Four-time NBA champion and two-time league MVP Stephen Curry did all he could to help the Warriors survive despite seeing countless double-teams, scoring an efficient 14 points and dishing out 12 assists.
Though Golden State received contributions from unexpected parts of the rotation, it was painfully apparent that the franchise needed another established scoring option outside of Curry and Andrew Wiggins, who scored 25 points on 20 attempts from the field.
On top of their difficulties with finding scoring help, the Warriors’ paint defense crumbled in the second half without Draymond Green in the lineup, conceding endless trips to the free-throw line for the Kings’ most aggressive rim-runners.
In order to solve these issues, Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy could contact the Portland Trail Blazers to inquire about a duo that could simultaneously help to address both glaring weaknesses.
Moving forward, it may be the right move to negotiate a deal for Portland’s Anfernee Simons and Robert Williams.
At just 25 years old, acquiring a proven scorer like Simons would provide Curry with the most similar player to Jordan Poole since his departure via trade to the Washington Wizards in 2023.
In 39 appearances this season, Simons has contributed 18.2 points and 4.9 assists to a rebuilding 15-28 Trail Blazers squad. Despite positive production and a career 38.4% three-point percentage on extremely high volume, Simons could be the odd man out in terms of the team’s future plans.
The recent breakout of Portland’s former No. 3 overall pick guard in the 2023 NBA Draft Scoot Henderson surely hasn’t helped with Simons’ comfortability as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.
As for Williams, the 27-year-old former NBA Finals adversary of Golden State as a member of the 2022 Boston Celtics has been hit with unfortunate injuries since his time in Boston. Still, the 6-foot-9 shot-blocking center has displayed incredible athleticism in his time with Portland while averaging 5.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in limited minutes in 2024-25.
Adding a frontcourt talent like Williams would be beneficial on both sides of the ball, as his hypothetical pairing with Green on defense could prove to be one of the best in league. As for the offensive end, he could very well develop a great connection in the pick-and-roll with Curry.
In a potential deal for the explosive tandem, Golden State would likely have to give up prospect talents like Brandin Podziemski or Moses Moody along with Kyle Anderson’s contract and first-round draft compensation.
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