It didn’t take long for the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade to break the brains of everyone around the NBA. The shocking move shook those around the league to their very core. One negative side effect is now there’s a belief that everyone, even the very best players, are potentially available. If the Mavs are dumb enough to let go of a generational 25-year-old superstar, the thinking goes, maybe someone else will make the same mistake.
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Chandler Parsons took to the Run It Back podcast to share his thoughts on the Golden State Warriors, who have fallen nearly off the map in the Western Conference playoff race after a 10-2 start. Steph Curry and company are now only 25-24, which is on the outside looking in on the play-in tournament, much less the playoffs. Parsons had a wild idea for what the fading dynasty could do to change their flagging fortunes.
“If I’m a GM, I’m calling the Nuggets halfway kidding and being like, ‘What’s it take for Jokic?’ or ‘What’s it take for Anthony Edwards?’ Clearly everyone is available outside of Wemby. … Giannis makes the most sense (for the Warriors).” – @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/J3xpCOUnBP
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 4, 2025
Parsons spoke about how if he were a general manager, he’d be making calls on just about every star in the league.
“I think everyone is just kinda closing their eyes and swinging for the fences here.”
Whereas the Warriors have been rumored to be after LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, Parsons thinks there’s a bigger fish they should be after: a certain Greek with freakish abilities.
“If you can get your hands on a guy like Giannis, that’s the one that makes the most sense to me, and especially when you throw a Kuminga in there for Milwaukee, kind of the same development that they would go through with Giannis as they will with Kuminga.”
Just because Luka Doncic got traded doesn’t mean that everyone is suddenly for sale
It never hurts to do your due diligence, so even though Parsons’ idea seems extremely far-fetched, the Warriors would be doing a disservice to themselves by not exploring every possible option to improve their team. The Bucks would almost certainly never trade Giannis unless he forced his way out, but there’s no harm in trying.
Steph Curry isn’t getting any younger, but Golden State’s main concern shouldn’t be to sell future pieces in an attempt to be competitive this year. We’re more than halfway through the season, and the Warriors are clearly not a contender. Any piece short of someone like Giannis isn’t going to materially change their fortunes in a meaningful way.
The smarter approach would be to look not for aging veterans like LeBron or Butler who have a year or two of good basketball left in the tank, but to find pieces who could bring long-term success. Cam Johnson is a guy that isn’t on LeBron’s or Butler’s level, but his age and talent could make him the true heir apparent to Klay Thompson that the Warriors have been missing. Maybe with Luka in town, the Warriors can convince the Lakers that Austin Reaves is expendable. He’d be another good young addition.
It’s going to be fun to see NBA teams shooting their proverbial shot for the biggest names in the game now that Luka has been traded. There’s a reason, though, that this is being talked about as the biggest trade in NBA history. It’s not the kind of thing that happens every day. The teams that will be successful going forward are those that make smart moves up and down the roster, not just selling out for the next superstar.
