With the NBA Trade Deadline less than 60 minutes away, we asked our Warriors World staff about potential moves the Dubs could make in this latest installment of 3-on-3.

1. Josh Smith, Andrea Bargani, Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans to name a few are on the block. Which player would best fit the Warriors ?

Jesse Taylor: Nothing causes a heated debate between the multiple voices in my head like the NBA Trade Deadline.

Jordan Ramirez will not like my response here, but I do not want Josh Smith on my team. Ever played with one of those guys that just makes you shake your head in frustration because of his lack of understanding of playing basketball and the impact it has on the flow of your team? That’s Josh Smith. Jarrett Jack would end up fighting Josh Smith if he got traded to the Warriors.

On the flip, Smith and Bogut defending the rim would be pretty awesome. But is Smith just a shot blocker or can he also defend the post? David Lee destroyed him this season and rendered his shot blocking meaningless. David Lee has major issues with good defenders, so that was a red flag for me.

So I guess I am not interested in any of these players. Maybe Bargnani would intrigue me the most if I had to pick one because of what a 4 can do when he spreads the floor. It would also be entertaining to pair him down low defensively with David Lee.

What the Warriors need to do is just play defense again. The roster is fine for now – just get back to what got them playing so well to start the season.

Getting a game changing type of player is not likely to happen until the Biedrins and Jefferson contracts expire.

Jack Winter: Of the players available, none are an especially good fit with the Warriors.  Golden State is hardly the best team in the league and is certainly not without its flaws, but boasts a balanced roster with quality depth at every spot.  That’s why Josh Smith makes the most hypothetical sense; his unique versatility on both ends of the floor is a trait the Warriors lack, as evidenced by Draymond Green overextending himself playing the role as a swing forward.  It’s not going to happen, but J-Smoove in blue and gold would be a sight to behold.

Jordan Ramirez: In my hypothetical world where owner/player friendships didn’t exist, I would trade David Lee for Josh Smith. Smith is an athletic freak and very good on the defensive end. Offensively, he takes too many shots and is shooting way too many threes. But on this team, where the Warriors won’t ask for Smith to do much on the offensive end he will flourish. On the Hawks, Smith is asked to be the primary scorer, which is forcing him to take all these shots. On a team with so many scorers, Smith will be a perfect fit as the third or fourth scoring option. Also, Josh Smith and Andrew Bogut would be one of the scariest defensive frontcourts in the league (with David Lee, they’re most certainly not). He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season, so there’s risk of losing him for nothing this offseason, but that’s where new ownership, a player’s coach, a winning attitude and a new arena come in handy.

2. Our own Jesse Taylor asked the question and now we ask it again: Eric Gordon for Klay Thompson, yay or nay?

Jesse Taylor: Speaking of Beans and RJ, can we include both of them in this Gordon trade? If so, then maybe I do it. Gordon’s contract is awful and doesn’t expire until the end of the 2015-16 season. But he’s a very skilled all-around player. He can shoot, create his own shot, has good handles, gets to the free throw line and is a solid defender. Klay has a great shot but is very one dimensional at the moment. Will he improve on his dribbling and driving? We don’t know the answer to that. Also, for every game that he goes off offensively, there is another game that he looks completely lost.

Defensively, Klay guards the opponent’s best backcourt player and that has been a huge asset for Steph Curry and the Warriors. Maybe Gordon can do the same.

Jack Winter: Nay.  In 2010-2011 Gordon was one of the game’s brightest young players, averaging 22.3 points per game with a stellar true shooting percentage of 56.6.  Even early last summer he was held in incredibly high regard; there was major debate on whether or not he or James Harden was more worthy of a spot on the Olympic Team.  But, to put it simply, Gordon just hasn’t seen the court enough in the last two seasons to justify his still lofty perception in some league circles.  Combine that with his middling play when he has been healthy and a growing laundry list of off-court malfeasance, and he’s not worth his max contract.

Thompson, meanwhile, has hardly lived up to lofty expectations this season but has nonetheless flashed the major scoring skill that makes him so unique.  There are only so many shooting guards these days that could eventually be capable of averaging an efficient 20 points per game, and Thompson is certainly on that short list.  That he’s on his rookie contract through 2015 only makes him more valuable, too.  Add it all up, and Gordon’s potential juice just isn’t worth Thompson’s squeeze even if such a swap would make the Warriors immediately better.

Jordan Ramirez: Yay. Eric Gordon is one of the best shooting guards of the league when healthy (there’s our favorite phrase again!) and would be an upgrade over Klay Thompson in nearly every facet of the game not including shooting. Some will balk at his contract (he’s making $13.6 million this season, upwards of $14 million in 13′-14′), but those numbers always look worse when the player isn’t on the floor. In other words, if he’s healthy, he’s worth the contract. Remember, Gordon never wanted to play for the Hornets/Pelicans in the first place, and I wouldn’t be entirely shocked if Gordon isn’t just taking it easy this season in hopes of preserving his career long term. Klay has trouble creating for himself and getting to the line, an area of the game where Gordon flourishes. Defensively, Thompson is bigger and probably the slightly better defender right now, but Gordon has a longer wingspan and hasn’t been 100%. The risk here is Gordon’s health and Klay Thompson’s ceiling. Gordon is not playing back-to-backs right now and is playing in limited minutes (where have we seen that before?), but his upside is worth the slight risk you’ll be taking. Also, I believe Klay Thompson is reaching his ceiling sooner rather than later. 

3. If Mitch Kupchak called Jerry West now and offered Dwight Howard for Andrew Bogut. Yes or no?

Jesse Taylor: If Mitch Kupchak called Jerry West and offered D12 for Bogut, I would wonder if Kupchak smokes the huka…

Of course you do this. It was nice to have a shot blocking presence when Bogut returned, and while you can see flashes of his skills, his health has me wondering if he can even make it down the court at times. He may never be the same player he once was.

Howard has his own injuries, but those aren’t expected to last beyond this season. This would also be where having a coach like Mark Jackson is a huge benefit. I can see Howard getting along very well with Jackson while Jackson would not let him get away with all the immature crap.

Jack Winter: Yes.  Make that a resounding yes, actually.  Let’s call the health situations of these guys a wash (though Bogut’s is arguably worse), and assume each will return to something close to their pre-injury selves.  In that case, Bogut is a great fit with the Warriors as a skilled big man capable of working from the elbows and facilitating offense from the post, and offers tons of value on the other end as a shot-blocker and back-line quarterback.  All that said, he’s not Howard; nobody is.

Remember Dwight’s Orlando Magic heydays, when Stan Van Gundy surrounded him with shooters like Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, JJ Redick and company while funneling everything on defense his direction and reaping the benefits of his historic defensive talent? Golden State would offer something similar with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and it’s easy to imagine Howard and David Lee coexisting seamlessly, too. Those recent defensive problems? They’re mostly gone with a near-healthy Howard, the game’s preeminent mistake-eraser on pick-and-rolls and in the paint.

Bogut will get better for Golden State and the team’s play will improve on both ends of the floor as a result.  But the Aussie isn’t Dwight, and the immediate success Howard would enjoy upon coming aboard combined with the lure of the Bay Area and Golden State’s ability to offer him the lengthiest, most lucrative contract would make him signing elsewhere this summer unlikely, too.  Please Mr. Kupchak, make the call.

Jordan Ramirez: Yes, absolutely, unequivocally, certainly, positively, now stop teasing me please. Howard’s off the court troubles are well chronicled and also overblown. His health has been in question all year, but he’s only 27 and is still putting up great numbers (16.3 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.3 BLKPG, 19.45 PER). Also, Howard isn’t getting nearly as many touches in the post and plays on a team with Kobe Bryant, two hindrances that won’t make you look any better on offense. When both are healthy, Bogut is good and Howard is the best. Before the Orlando mess or back questions came into play, many thought Howard was the second best building block in the NBA aside from LeBron James. I don’t think those days are behind Howard yet. The past two seasons have been an absolute mess, but Howard would be an incredible take for an Aussie that has yet to establish himself on this team and has only played 12 games in a Warriors uniform. Like my hypothetical trade for Josh Smith, you must trust the front office and the new allure that comes with this team in order to keep Howard after this season.

It looks like the Warriors will be getting something back from the Dorell Wright trade after all (with all due respect to Edin Bavčić). As ESPN’s Marc Stein first reported, yesterday’s trade becomes a three-teamer with Jarrett Jack on his way to the Warriors and Mr. Salary Dump’s rights going to New Orleans.

The deal has not yet been finalized but Jack took to Twitter all but confirming his impending move:

The Warriors finally get a quality backup point guard that they’ve coveted so highly. Jack has had a very solid career, mostly as a backup, but is no stranger to being thrust into the starting lineup when needed. Given the questions surrounding Stephen Curry’s ankle, Golden State could not have come away with a better option to play behind him and in some instances, in place of him.

Our message board lit up with optimism when the news broke. Here are a few reactions:

“Jack good strong back up PG. also can start if Steph rolls that ankle. I approve.” – delsol650

“he’s a Warrior… woot woot. I smell 50 wins.” – Steven

“WOW..I’ve wanted Jack as a *premium* point guard for years. THANK YOU!” – Fred

Jack averaged a career-best 15.3 points and 6.3 assists for New Orleans last season as a starter.

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The California kid is heading back east.

Bob Myers made his first big trade as general manager of the Warriors sending his former client, Dorell Wright, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for what is likely to be Edin Bavčić – a 6’10 center out of Bosnia. Bavčić has been stashed away overseas since being drafted in the second round back in 2006. My computer almost exploded trying to put that first symbol above the “c.”

The move is purely a salary dump with Bavčić unlikely to ever play in a Warriors uniform.

Moving Wright was inevitable given his reasonable contract, the logjam at the wing position, and the fact that Mark Jackson never seemed to be a big fan of him (often opting to use other players late in games). A year removed from a breakout season in which he averaged a career best 16.4 points per game and broke the single season record for three-pointers made by a Warrior, Wright took a step back much to the chagrin of the Warriors faithful. Looking at the minutes he was given and the numbers he posted, he actually didn’t have that bad of a year and yet was still the target of a lot of Warriors fans’ anger and frustration. That’s not to say he didn’t have his struggles at all. Relying on his long-range ability and slow motion pump fake, teams quickly figured out how to defend Wright thus making him far less effective. Add in the fact that his mid-range game was almost non-existent and it’s easy to see why he had a down year.

Wright looked on his way to becoming a mainstay with the Dubs as he embraced the Bay Area and its fan base with open arms from the day he signed with Golden State. Despite being from Southern California and being a staunch USC, Dallas Cowboys and Dodgers supporter, he made his presence felt within the community. He represented as if he was a Bay Area native, as proven by his charitable efforts this past Thanksgiving when he partnered with the city of Oakland to make sure that several thousand less-fortunate families and individuals were fed and clothed.

On a personal level, my first ever interview with a professional athlete was with Wright last year in Las Vegas during the Impact Basketball “Lockout League.” I’ve encountered him many times since then and he is one of the most down-to-Earth athletes I have ever met. With the amount of money these guys get paid nowadays, it’s not unusual for some players to act as if they are a notch above everyone, but not D. Wright. He was definitely one of the most genuine guys on the team and I wish him the best playing for Doug Collins and the Sixers.

This trade strongly points in the direction of the Warriors bringing back Brandon Rush and gives them a bit more money to use in free agency to aid in their search for a backup point guard and possibly a backup power forward (they continue to entertain the possibility of signing J.J Hickson as well as former Warrior, Antawn Jamison). Golden State has yet to cash in their invite to the Offseason Transaction Party but perhaps this is the first move of many that will prove to the fans that they are as serious about winning as they claim to be.

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Maybe it’s the intense, dry, brain boiling heat of Las Vegas, or the conversation with outside basketball observers, but I feel a bit better than I did last week about the AR trade.

Trading young athletic forward Carlos Rogers, Anthony Randolph along with Kelena Azabuike, and fan favorite Ronny Turiaf to New York for all-star power forward David Lee, sent Warriors fans into a tail spin. This is a trade that angers fans because of ‘potential.’  Many feel that Randolph has more upside than David Lee.  This is a subjective and hopeful feeling that is fostered by the Warriors every time they draft a player and he has any kind of success.  As fans of a team that has made the playoffs once in the last 16 years, you have to allow yourself to hope. Hope can turn into tickets,  jerseys, and unrealistic player expectations.

Hope in the face of suffering is why I have 4 autographed Larry Hughes jerseys, why the arena was packed on draft night, and why the Warriors continue to draw some of the best attendance in the league.  If you scramble your roster every single year, you can always talk about how things are different.  There is always hope when there is change….if you market it correctly.  Change allows the Warriors sell tickets every year based on hope and potential. When a player they hyped as having amazing franchise turnaround capabilities gets traded for anyone short of a top 10 player, the fans have a violent reaction.

Face it, the Anthony Randolph trade is actually good for the Warriors.  Yes, it leaves me with yet another outdated autographed player jersey, but maybe the Warriors will let me trade it for a David Lee jersey. AR had potential, but it is a crap shoot if he ever realizes it.  His first year he wasn’t motivated, and needed a fire lit under him to get it together.  He bounced back with a great summer league, and a decent start to the season, but he was still a tweener without any solid back to the basket moves, an inconsistent jump shot and no real position.  AR is a project that may or may not pay off and a lot of that is dependent on his desire to work, improve, get better.

David Lee is an all star power forward who plays in an up-tempo system  and can be expected to put up similar numbers here in Golden State.  He works on his game, and tries hard every night.  He has character, maturity, and a high basketball IQ.  Warriors fans would have loved to have AR aspire to be a more athletic version of David Lee.

Lee has 40 lbs on AR, plays closer to the basket, generated a higher FG% in his first 2 years, is a better foul shooter,  rebounder,  and has shown improvement every year.  Lee plays a position that we haven’t had a solid starter in for decades.  The Warriors now have a pairing with Curry / Lee that could rival the Nash / Stoudemire combo that ran up and down courts in the west for years.  1 all star and 1 future all-star playing their actual positions, under Don Nelson, amazing.

Instead of rolling the dice on hope, we made a solid basketball move. It hurts, but it’s for the best.

From IshWarrior in the forum:

David Lee is probably the biggest Warriors’ FA signing…ever, but that’s not the point. Sure it is an improvement right now, we should have more wins than last year and we have a legitimate rebounding body right now, but it isn’t the most logical fix.

It’s my opinion that the Warriors needed to start looking at alternative directions for the team. After last year, the team became less about building around Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins (which many, including myself, argued for a couple years ago) and more about building around Steph Curry and the potential of Anthony Randolph.

The biggest deficiency in Warriors basketball is defense. It’s non-existent. Sure, our offense hits a high gear every once in a while and we have a single, or a string of, good games, but I think we all know very well that it won’t get the team very far (see 2006 playoffs). Signing a guy like David Lee who doesn’t really play a lick of defense is not addressing this very, very large concern. What he does, he does very well. He’ll get you some points, he’ll crash the boards, and he’ll run a pick-and-roll. He has defensive capability, but we don’t see it. Not the right move, Riley.

With the expectation of new ownership coming into town soon, meaning a new front office and new coaching, it is in the best interest of the fans that we give the “new” team as much flexibility as possible. Although Nelson and Riley might as well mail it in, that doesn’t mean go out there and continue the typical Warriors less-than-logical moves.

I know that this is just my opinion and several of you probably disagree, it was my dream scenario that the Warriors would stick with Steph Curry, Anthony Morrow (if we could get him to stick around), Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, and Ronny Turiaf. In the mean time, make the best of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins. If they were a legitimate fit on this vision of the future, then go for it. If not, then send them out for young, cheap talent to go along with short (read: 1-year remaining), large contracts.

A year from now, that possibly meant a new owner: Larry Ellison. A new GM: Jerry West, Kevin Pritchard, or at least someone competent with a halfway decent track record. A new coach. And a roster consisting the aforementioned Stephen Curry, Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, Ronny Turiaf, hopefully Anthony Morrow, a flurry of expiring contracts, and maybe some young talent go to along with it. Sure the CBA is being re-written and this year was the year of free-agents, but the point is the Warriors would have a great deal of flexibility under a new ruler.

That’s what I feel should be in the best interest of fans. We need a totally new movement when the new owner comes around, and we’re putting a longer time-table on a redefined team with contracts like these. At best, we’re putting ourselves onto the road to no-man’s land. We could add some more talent and be a .500 team, not making the playoffs, and not getting a great pick. Not the goal of a basketball team. We should take note of the work by Sam Presti and Kevin Pritchard. Making smart moves to go with youth, stack up draft picks, scout well, and build a brighter future. Right now, the only thing keeping me sane is the wallet of the very well connected Larry Ellison, Stephen Curry, and the light, although not very bright, of the not-so-close future.

/Rant.

From poster Top Dog in the forum, discussion here

1) It would further clog our already crowded front court, which would…

2) Limit the development of our young 4s and 5s. Whatever you think of AR, BW, or EU, the only way we’ll find out what we really have with any of them is via playing time, which will already be at a premium because of Beans and Ronny.

3) Lee is many things, but a true center ain’t one of ‘em. The Knicks got away with playing Lee at the 5 because the East is still pretty weak overall. The West has teams with legitimately huge power forwards and centers: Bynum/Gasol, Cousins, Yao, TD, Nene, Kaman–I’ll even include Sideshow Bob Lopez in Phoenix because he really showed me something last year, and he’s definitely enormous. The point is, David Lee is barely a 5 in the East, and wouldn’t be able to hang physically in the West. As a result, his rebounding numbers would go down and our already porous frontcourt D would erode even further.

4) If you’re comparing Monta and Lee, you can’t just put their numbers up side by side even though Monta comes out looking pretty good in that analysis. Basketball is such a team sport that you have consider the context. And the Knicks provided Lee with an incredible environment for putting up gaudy numbers last year.

-D’Antoni’s system inflates offensive numbers by running constantly and requiring the players to play absolutely no D, which leaves them with more energy on the other end

-Shitty team = lots of touches
-Plenty of blowouts = opponents’ putting their scrubs in early on
-Weak competition at his position on the team = ample minutes

Now before you say that Monta enjoyed the same advantages (which he did, with the possible exception of the touches), you have to consider whether those advantages would be there for Lee in the case of a trade. And they wouldn’t. Lee wouldn’t get as many minutes or touches because our front court is too crowded. The W’s will not be great, but they’ll be more competitive than the Knicks were last season, which means there will be fewer blowouts. The competition in the West will mean Lee has to work a hell of a lot harder to get his.

Don’t get me wrong: I like David Lee as a player. If we didn’t have so many similar players already, I’d be more interested. But other than a dominant low post force–which, to quote Rick Pitino, ain’t walkin’ through that door–this team needs a legit 2 or 3 more than anything.

So the W’s should try to trade Monta for Granger or Iguodala or just wait. Monta will put up impressive numbers again, and eventually the offers for him will improve. He’s a special, if frustrating, offensive player, and we can’t afford to further f#$% up our team just get him off of it.