The Golden State Warriors have acquired Jason Thompson in a trade for Gerald Wallace, sending the forward to the Philadelphia 76ers after bringing him over when David Lee was traded and now the team has a solid bench option as they try and defend their NBA title and this comes as a Harrison Barnes contract extension could be on the horizon.
The Warriors traded Lee to the Boston Celtics for Wallace and after that deal was completed, the team was hoping to move Wallace for a useful piece for next season. The team has done that now, as Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Warriors have acquired Thompson from the Sixers and they also sent some cash in the deal and the right to change up a draft pick. The Warriors have cut some money with the move and they now have a bench depth option with Thompson.
Former NBA exec Bobby Marks wrote on Twitter that the Warriors saved nearly $10 million in tax with the trade. The team ended up saving over $20 million with the Wallace and Lee trades, according to Marks and that is big for the luxury tax bill moving forward. The Warriors are pretty happy with Marreese Speights and Festus Ezeli on the bench behind Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green, but Thompson is a solid player and could give the team some good minutes off the bench late in games.
Thompson comes in after playing his career with the Kings and last season he played in 81 games and averaged a solid six points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. Thompson will not be getting significant minutes for the Warriors, but that is why they moved Lee and now Thompson is a much cheaper option in the mix than Lee was. Lee is with the Celtics and was coming into the final year of his contract and after signing back Draymond Green, the Warriors had to shed some salary.
Wallace heads out from Golden State after the Boston trade and he comes in after playing in just 32 games last season. Wallace averaged just 1.1 points per game and 1.8 rebounds and this was mainly a salary move for the Sixers. The Sixers have a youth movement going and Wallace could end up as a trade target down the line again.
The Warriors are reportedly considering a contract extension with Harrison Barnes this offseason, as the team wants to keep the guard and Harrison is interested in staying. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Barnes said after the season that he wants to stay with the team for "many years to come" and he has the chance to sign an extension buy October. Barnes will be a restricted free agent next summer if a deal is not signed. Barnes comes in after averaging 10 points and five rebounds in 82 games played last season.
Check here for more on the trade and offseason moves by the Sixers and Warriors.
