Philadelphia 76ers' Buddy Hield warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Making trades is hard, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. insisted at the start of the offseason. It requires dealing with other similarly smart teams and navigating through the new collective bargaining agreement, which effectively bars the highest-spending teams from being involved in trades.
So much for all that.
Shortly after the NBA’s moratorium ended, which allows teams to conduct official business, the Warriors announced the finalized details of the trade that brought Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson to Golden State. It started with the sign-and-trade of franchise legend Klay Thompson and included six teams total, which helped smooth the process with the new CBA.
In return for Klay Thompson, cash considerations and the right to swap 2031 second-round picks with Minnesota, the Warriors received Anderson and Hield. The Warriors, Mavericks, 76ers and Timberwolves were the main participants in the deal, with the Nuggets and Hornets also involved.
If there were concerns about Dunleavy’s creativity, a six-team trade should quell them. It was the first six-team trade in NBA history.
The Warriors also signed De’Anthony Melton using their full $12.8 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception — a deal that hasn’t been made official yet but has been confirmed on Twitter/X by Melton himself.
In a roundabout way, the Warriors turned Chris Paul and Thompson into Melton, Hield and Anderson — three rotation-ready veterans.
Anderson and Melton are elite defensive players, and Hield is one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters. Each come with concerns — Anderson’s lack of 3-point shooting, Melton’s back injury, and Hield’s curious ineffectiveness last year with Philadelphia — but the best-case scenario of each could realistically represent an improvement over Paul and Thompson.
Golden State also made the draft day transaction for the rights to Quinten Post official. Post, who the Warriors selected with the 52nd overall pick, will play in Summer League when he’s cleared by the Warriors’ performance team. The 7-foot center is dealing with a minor leg injury and didn’t dress for the Warriors’ first California Classic game.
They also officially acquired 3-point specialist Lindy Waters III from the Thunder on draft day and finalized a two-way contract with Reece Beekman, the two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year who impressed in the California Classic opener.
If the Warriors don’t make any more moves this summer, they’ll have a very crowded roster. With Melton, Hield and Anderson, they have at least 12 players who should reasonably expect to play meaningful minutes. That’s not necessarily a good thing, so some roster consolidations could be necessary eventually.
Originally published at Danny Emerman