The Warriors made some small moves in Thursday’s trading deadline, but were unable to make the big deal that some had anticipated.
Golden State traded point guard Brad Wanamaker for the Hornets for money considerations, and pivot Marquese Chriss and money for Spurs for pivot rights Cady Lalanne, according to league sources. These moves were made to clear two vacancies on the roster in case the Warriors acquire someone in the oncoming acquisition market. Golden State can also put two-way contract players Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nico Mannion to the list of 15 players that Wanamaker and Chriss have vacated.
Choice # 55 of the 2015 NBA Draft in Massachusetts, Lalanne, 28, has yet to play an NBA game. He is currently in the Korean Basketball League’s Changwon LG Sakers and is not expected to join Golden State.
Wanamaker, 31, signed a $ 2.25 million one-year contract with the Warriors at a free agency to be Stephen Curry’s primary reserve as a point guard. But in 39 games with the Golden State, he averaged just 4.7 points in 35.3% of shots (21.3% in the 3-point range), 2.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds. Several weeks ago, Wanamaker was removed from the Warriors’ regular rotation so Mannion and Jordan Poole could get more minutes.
Chriss suffered a sprained right ankle with a fractured right fibula in late December, and it is unclear whether he will be able to play again this season. Coach Steve Kerr recently said that Chriss – who became a free agent this summer – has started to do some work on the court, but he “is not close to playing”.
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Even if Chriss came back this season, he would have a hard time breaking the Warriors’ attack court rotation. James Wiseman, the Golden State franchise’s center-on-hold, commands significant playing time. The Warriors also want to get minutes for Kevon Looney and play against Eric Paschall as a small ball center.
After months of speculation that Golden State could move guard Kelly Oubre Jr. on schedule, he decided to keep him. According to a league source, the Warriors turned down several “attractive” offers to Oubre.
That was a gamble, as the Golden State now runs the risk of losing Oubre to a free agency and not getting anything in return for it. After a slow start to the season, Oubre, 25, emerged as a reliable two-way wing. In 42 games, he has an average of 15.1 points in 43.8% of shots (30.6% of 3-point shots), 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal.
According to a league source, Oubre can secure free agency contracts worth $ 20 million annually – a very high number for a Warriors team that already has nearly $ 140 million committed next season with Curry, Klay Thompson , Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. But if Oubre is willing to sign again with Golden State for what appears to be a sixth-man role after Thompson returns from an Achilles injury, the Warriors may well be paying him his market value.
In the short term, Oubre is expected to help Golden State compete for a playoff spot this season. The Warriors enter the game Thursday night in Sacramento, 10th in the Western Conference standings at 22-22. Teams with the seventh best, eighth best, ninth best and tenth best records in each conference will participate in a play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in the playoffs.
Connor Letourneau is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @Con_Chron