NBA Hot Take: Why The Golden State Warriors Should Trade For Nikola Vucevic.

In the 2019-20 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors broke their streak of reaching the NBA finals and instead became the worst team record-wise in the entire league. From Klay Thompson’s tragic ACL injury to Stephen Curry breaking his hand in the first few weeks of the season, the Warriors suffered plenty of obstacles that led to their downfall of not reaching the playoffs. While this was a hindrance for the Warriors legacy, this minor setback allowed Golden State to retain the second pick in the NBA draft, granting them a top prospect or a valuable trade piece. Even though the Warriors were the worst team in the NBA in terms of regular-season record, next season is a different situation as the Warriors will return to contending status in the Western Conference. However, the Warriors can become unanimous champions again by pursuing a trade of Nikola Vucevic, a former All-Star and one of the better scoring centers in the NBA today. 

Since the beginning of their dynasty, the Warriors have had a great mixture of guards and forwards that led them to win championships but always lacked a great center. Even though Andrew Bogut and Javale McGee were undoubtedly the best centers during this era, they were far from the best options as Bogut was out of his prime while McGee was simply an above-average role player. However, a lack of an All-Star calibre center did not hinder the Warriors as they introduced small-ball basketball while implementing the three-point line as their most significant asset in winning games. This new way of playing basketball was underestimated as many analysts and fans doubted that this style of play would win basketball games. Traditionally, playing inside and scoring a two was more valued than scoring a three as it was quicker and more efficient to score inside rather than throwing a long-shot. This analysis of “more efficient scoring” was quickly a useless argument as every player in the NBA today is required to have a serviceable jump-shot. The Golden State Warriors changed how basketball is played, as many organizations have attempted to duplicate what this organization has accomplished. 

Although the Warriors proved that small ball basketball could win championships, possessing a center is still important as the NBA contains a vast selection of great centers and forwards. From Giannis Antetokounmpo to Anthony Davis, organizations need to have a serviceable body to prevent tyrants like these from scoring the basketball with ease. Even though Draymond Green is a defensive player of the year, the NBA’s elite big men will still find ways to either score or orchestrate a scheme where they would eventually score the basketball. The big man position is making a dominant return as almost every organization in the NBA has a great power forward or center. Small ball basketball allowed the Warriors to win many titles, but the Lakers this season proved that having a center/ power forward as a first option can also win championships. With Anthony Davis being the future of the Laker organization, the Warriors need to take into account trading for a big man that can at least be a presence inside the paint. While Giannis Antetokounmpo has been rumoured to be traded to Golden State, Nikola Vucevic is a more feasible and realistic option for the Warriors to continue their dynasty. 

For years, the Orlando Magic have been either a first-round exit or a late lottery pick team while also struggling to figure out their identity. Most organizations look to either contend for a championship or rebuild, but the Magic are in a situation that was similar to Detroit a few seasons ago. Orlando has a mixture of great young pupils such as Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac while also having a former All-Star in Nikola Vucevic, who is at the point where he needs to be a part of a contending organization. Golden State could be that destination for Vucevic as he is a great shooter for his position while also being one of the better rebounders in the NBA. This season, Vucevic averaged close to 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists while averaging 34% from the three-point line. While his three-point shooting percentage may not look appetizing, he managed to attempt close to five three-point shot attempts a game compared, which is more attempts than his All-Star season, where he only averaged three with a percentage of 36%. He averaged two more shot-attempts while only losing 2% of his average, which indicates that Vucevic has become more confident with his jump-shot. If the Golden State Warriors trade for Vucevic, he would most likely take fewer shot-attempts, which would, in theory, make him more efficient. The pairing of Vucevic in Golden State would be the perfect complement to how the Warriors play basketball as he would rebound the ball while also being another scoring option for Steve Kerr to implement in different scenarios. Even though he is a liability at the defensive end compared to the average center in the NBA, he still managed to average a steal and block a game this season. 

The Golden State Warriors would trade for Vucevic for his size and skillset on the offensive end. At the same time, Draymond Green would be the primary defender inside and essentially the glue piece in any particular situation. However, for this trade to process, the Warriors would have to trade Andrew Wiggins and the second pick of the 2020 NBA draft in exchange for Nikola Vucevic and the 15th pick of this year’s draft. Golden State would have an elite center and a valuable draft pick that barely touches the lottery. In contrast, the Orlando Magic have an opportunity to draft their next franchise player while receiving an above-average role player that could make an All-Star appearance in Andrew Wiggins. With the Warriors having a great history of drafting excellent, this 15th pick could provide them with another valued rotational player similar to Eric Paschall. Although Giannis Antetokounmpo is potentially the Warriors number one priority to trade for, Nikola Vucevic should be one of the top candidates if they fail to trade for the current MVP of the league. The best aspect of this trade is that the Warriors attain an All-Star calibre center while still keeping their core intact.