With the NBA trade deadline coming up quickly on Feb. 6, all teams are having to toil with the choice of making a move before they no longer can or standing pat with what they've got. Perhaps no team has a more confounding choice than the Golden State Warriors, whose own players and coaches have admitted the risk of mortgaging a franchise's future for the sake of winning now may not be the wisest path forward.
Yet, the clock is ticking for the franchise and its star, the 36-year-old Steph Curry, who is dangerously close to the other side of his prime playing years. Every season matters, and Golden State is 11th in the West at 22-22.
An insider report from Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst for ESPN described the Warriors as willing as ever to make a, "swing," for another star, but one key holdup:
"What is clear: There is no player available via trade right now who will change Golden State's fortunes enough to spark a run into the West's top six," the report writes.
The most notable star clearly available is Jimmy Butler, battling for a trade away from the Miami Heat. The Suns are known to be interested, with the report describing it as their, "top objective."
The report juxtaposed the Warriors' approach with the Suns, so it sounds as if Butler is all but off the table. Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks is reportedly on the table as an option, but beyond that, few candidates have emerged that truly qualifies as a star-level difference maker.
Time is left before the deadline, and that urgency creates action. Perhaps a player suddenly hits the block for Golden State to pounce on and prove just how willing the team is to upgrade its roster.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Warriors Believed to Be 'Willing' Participants in Star Trade, With a Catch.
