The Golden State Warriors have started a trend of being very active on the trade market these last couple of years. Warriors ownership is committed to bringing an NBA championship back to the Bay Area and they have been very aggressive to make that a reality. They traded for Andre Iguodala last season and the team is still hoping they could make a run at Kevin Love this year. The Warriors have also done a great job in the NBA Draft, selecting players like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes. They have developed their own players and remain hopeful that this young group of men will be the core of a championship contender for years to come.
However, the Warriors have also been hesitant in dealing any of their draft selections, which could have cost the team some valuable assets. According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, the Warriors passed on a deal with the Orlando Magic that would have brought Arron Afflalo to Golden State:
Ws could’ve dealt HBarnes to Orl for Arron Afflalo + future 1st, source says. Passed. AA would’ve eased losing Klay in KLove deal.
— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) July 6, 2014
Barnes has been somewhat of a disappointment since being drafted seventh overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Warriors are still hoping Barnes is able to make the leap to the next level next season, but if this report is true, the Warriors probably wish they could go back in time so they can accept the deal. Not only is Afflalo a great defensive minded shooting guard who averaged 18.2 points per game last season, but they also would have received a first round pick.
Not sure what the reasoning was behind their decision to reject this deal, but this could have made trading for Love much easier. With Afflalo on the roster, letting go of Thompson could have been a realistic possibility. Thompson has a higher ceiling than Afflalo, but the addition of Love would have given the Warriors another superstar and closer to their goal of winning an NBA title.