With the NBA All-Star weekend in full-swing, one of the things just as exciting as seeing the future and present of NBA stardom is all the backstage wheeling and dealing right before the trade deadline. According to SF Chronicle’s Rusty Simmons on Twitter, the Warriors’ GM Larry Riley is trying to get in on this action. Apparently Brandan Wright is one of the most attractive trade chips (not to mention an expiring contract):
Sources keep reminding that BWright’s restricted is most attractive in all this. Then, Dubs have to convince a team to take Gadz/Vlad, too.
As Ernie Pomin discussed yesterday, ESPN.com’s NBA stat-man John Hollinger also sees a lot of potential in Brandan Wright given his age, length, and offensive skill-sets. But since he doesn’t play (at all), the Warriors have effectively killed his trade value. And for this, trading Wright seems virtually impossible given what Riley, via Simmons, had to say about the moves he wants to make, which don’t involve the New Jersey Nets Troy Murphy:
Warriors GM Larry Riley out of league mtgs to quash rumors. Murphy “has already been here.” Riley wants “a player or pick of substance.”
With a statement like that, its clear that Riley sees the Warriors present and also their distant future. Refusing to dump expirings in Dan Gadzuric and Vladimir Radmanovic for another expiring in Murphy shows that Riley and the Warriors clearly are thinking their team is good to great player away from being great. But the problem is what good to great player wants to play in Golden State, a team that’s reputation is a close second to the Los Angeles Clippers, a disastrous franchise led by infamous and alleged racist slumlord Donald Sterling.
But what else might this say about what Riley is looking for? Troy Murphy, a stretch four that like to park himself offensively by the 3-point line, clearly isn’t what Riley wants right now, especially with the Warriors recent links to Denver Nugget’s Nene. But are there even any players out there that can provide the offensive power inside that the Warriors want? New Orleans Hornets David West seems like a possible answer.