The Golden State Warriors opted not to make a significant trade in the NBA offseason, instead entering the new year with a deep team that looked to be at least one star-caliber player away from contention. Getting off to a great start to the year, the Warriors began silencing some of the critics who believed this roster would be near the bottom of the Western Conference.
While they are still third in the West, the Warriors have lost three-straight games. This is certainly not the kind of stretch that pushes a coaching staff or front office to make significant changes, but the Warriors are a team that many believe will be active around the trade deadline.
Golden State making a move before the deadline became even more likely when De’Anthony Melton went down with a season ending ACL injury. Having been named Kerr’s starting shooting guard, Melton’s absence from the lineup changes a lot for the Warriors.
In a recent video for Bleacher Report, NBA insider Jake Fischer broke down some of the ways Golden State can replace Melton, and potentially even use his expiring contract to do so. One name Fischer mentioned as a potential trade option for Golden State is Toronto Raptors center Kelly Olynyk.
“I was told from various NBA executives around the league that Kelly Olynyk was someone the Warriors were targeting at last year’s trade deadline,” Fischer said. “He would fit their system perfectly.”
While Olynyk will of course not replace Melton in the rotation, he could be a player Golden State targets to strengthen its front court depth. As a stretch-big, Olynyk could play a similar role to the one Dario Saric played in Golden State last season.
Olynyk has been sidelined all season with a back injury, so that is also something to consider for Golden State.
