The Golden State Warriors had high expectations coming into the season and as they hang onto playoff position in the west, the team could get involved in deals at the trade deadline and names like Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and David Lee have become targets for teams and players like Kirk Hinrich, Andre Miller and Arron Afflalo could be potential acquisitions.
The Warriors came into the season after trying to woo Dwight Howard and after signing Iguodala there were some high expectations for the franchise, but so far that has not translated to the court. The team surprised everyone with a first round upset against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and then pushing the Spurs to six games, but now the team is hanging on in a very competitive western conference and a shakeup move could be coming.
According to USA Today and ESPN.com, the Warriors are looking for more depth and a perimeter shooter and names like Kirk Hinrich, Andre Miller and Arron Afflalo have come up in possible deals. The report says that the Warriors could consider trading anyone not names Stephen Curry or Andrew Bogut and that could lead to some interesting things out in the Pacific division. Harrison Barnes is the name that has come up the most and a separate report says that the Warriors will not pull off a deal like that unless it's a "blockbuster".
Barnes is one of the top young talents in the league and he has been playing well this season while averaging 10 points and 30 minutes per game and he is shooting over 40 percent from three point range and overall and that makes him a hot commodity. Barnes is playing even better heading into the break and is averaging 14 points and over 50 percent shooting over his last four games and now he could be on his way out of town.
USA Today reports that the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls could all be in the mix for him. The Warriors wouldn't mind some point guard depth and that could work with the Nuggets, as Andre Miller has been dangling as trade bait since his blowup with Brian Shaw and that could be a move to explore. The Grizzlies are heading into the second half looking to upgrade in a couple areas and this could be a move to make, as USA Today reports that they were also looking into a potential deal involving Chase Budinger and J.J. Barea.
Barnes is 21-years-old and has heaps of potential and that could get some teams interested, but the Warriors will not make a move simply for the sake of doing it. The team is 31-22 on the season and while that is very solid, it's not great for the west and not for the expectations the team had coming in. Keep an eye on this one.