Bill Simmons has suggested that the Golden State Warriors should trade for either of the Indiana Pacers key big men, Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner, as he doesn’t feel like they fit well with the Eastern Conference side.
The Warriors have undergone a resurgence this season and look primed to reinstate their stranglehold on the West. They currently lead the conference, as well as the NBA, with a 15-2 record and are now the second favorites for the championship at 6/1. Fans looking to bet on title odds would certainly benefit from a Caesars sportsbook promo code, with a few teams now in the mix as the Los Angeles Lakers are falling down the favorites ladder.
What’s scary is that they still have Klay Tompson and James Wiseman out. The Dubs have a good thing going at the moment and, even without the aforementioned, look like they can rock with anyone. Things should be even better when Thompson and Wiseman make their returns, which should be before the end of the year.
There’s also room for moves to be made in the trade market and Simmons, a basketball analyst, reckons Steve Kerr could look to other teams to strengthen his Warriors even more. Speaking to Marcus Thompson on The Bill Simmons Podcast, he pointed to Sabonis and Turner.
“There’s one team that I think would be an interesting fit—and look at me, I’m going to start trade rumors,” he said. “I have been watching an Indiana team that doesn’t really make sense together and it does seem like Turner or Sabonis will be a thing. I was thinking about Sabonis on this Golden State team and how interesting that would be. I was also thinking about Turner on this Golden State team and how interesting that would be.
“It’s like, all right, if Wiseman’s on the table but I’m getting one of those two guys back, and I’m trying to win a title and I have a real path now, in the West, like we could be the best team in the West—my instinct would be don’t do anything. But if there’s a Sabonis play because of his hoops IQ and just how I think he would fit in with that, I think they would have to explore that. That would be the ONE guy.”
Either acquisition would indeed make sense for Golden State. Sabonis is a player cut in the mold of Draymond Green but he is a much better scorer than the former Michigan State forward. Turner, on the other hand, is an excellent rim protector who can hold his own on the other side of the ball.
Of course, getting any one of them could stunt Wiseman’s development. Also, the Warriors haven’t given any indication they could be interested in another big man. If they do decide to look to the market, though, Simmons has already done the scouting.
Meanwhile, Kerr has denied that Thompson has been cleared to fully participate in Warriors practices. The sharpshooter is indeed nearing a return and has been involved in some activities. However, contrary to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater published on Sunday that claims Thompson has been cleared to participate in all practices, Kerr claimed not to know.
“Nobody has told me that, so I don’t know where that came from,” the head coach said.
The Warriors haven’t missed a beat in Klay’s absence, this season at least. The likes of Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, and Gary Payton II have all been making major contributions in the backcourt alongside Steph Curry.
Kerr should have a headache when Thompson and Wiseman are available again, yet it’s the kind of headache every coach wants. Curry has acknowledged as much, admitting that the only challenge the coach will face will be in regard to how he will “balance so much talent and opportunity for everybody.”
“Right now we played 12 guys and you got Klay Thompson and James Wiseman back at home playing 5-on-5 and getting ready,” the superstar point guard told reporters last week. “So that is a great problem to have.”
“That is the challenge of what we have in terms of balancing how many guys you can throw out there every single night and creating a solid rotation that’s going to help us win a championship, so that’s the secret sauce, right now.”
Thompson, though, isn’t expecting to be back to 100 percent in terms of effectiveness as soon as he gets back but is confident he will make an impact.
“I expect to get back there,” he said. “Not right away just because that was 100 games worth of work and incredible shape.”
“But when I step back on the floor, I’m gonna be a very effective player. Maybe not what I was doing shooting the ball like I was, but I will still be really good. And I will just keep going up. You know the power of the mind. I have belief in myself to get there again.”
