Prior to the Toronto Raptors sending Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, there were reports that the Golden State Warriors were interested in making a trade for him. The Warriors must now turn their attention to other potential trade prospects as the best forward possibility is no longer available (provided the Utah Jazz do not make Lauri Markkanen available).
In a recent Bleacher Report piece, Greg Swartz mentioned Kyle Kuzma as a possible alternative for the Warriors. Although this was a hypothetical proposal rather than a report, the reasoning behind it made some sense:
Kyle Kuzma would provide the Warriors with a backup scoring option to Stephen Curry and help revitalise their offence, according to Swartz. “The 28-year-old can line up at any forward position. If the Warriors play a more conventional large, he can slide up to the 3 or play the 4 in small-ball lineups with Draymond Green at centre. Seven years into his career, Kuzma has improved and become a more willing distributor, so he should mesh well with Steve Kerr’s ball-movement-heavy offence.”
Although Kuzma by himself probably won’t be sufficient to elevate the Warriors from the 12th seed to a genuine contender, his signing would be a positive beginning. Beyond Steph Curry, the Warriors just need more productivity, and Kuzma’s 21.8 PPG would help.
A deal for Kuzma could make some sense for Golden State, though it would obviously rely on the package being delivered to Washington.
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