Why This Trade Works for the Golden State Warriors

It seems like forever ago that Golden State was the talk of the NBA with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry demoralizing teams with their offensive prowess. Now, Durant is a member of the Brooklyn Nets and Thompson has suffered two season-ending injuries.

With high hopes and a hefty luxury tax bill, the Warriors will need to get creative to remain a threat in the Western Conference without Thompson. Exercising the trade route for an intriguing talent like Zach LaVine may be one way to help achieve this.

Without having three of the NBA’s best perimeter shooters on the court together, the Warriors will have to adjust their play style. However, Curry needs to have another reliable pick-and-roll ball-handler to help initiate offense— making LaVine an intriguing option.

There is some reason for caution when factoring in LaVine has an injury history of his own. However, he is coming off a season with the Chicago Bulls that featured him making 60 appearances in a shortened season.