The Golden State Warriors’ active 2024 offseason was remarkable as much for the transactions the team didn’t do as it was for the deals Golden State didn’t do.
Beyond letting five-time All-Star and four-time champion swingman Klay Thompson ditch the Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade, Golden State actively pursued several All-Star trade and free agent targets.
It was well-known that Warriors team president Mike Dunleavy Jr. was interested in trading for All-Star Utah Jazz combo forward Lauri Markkanen, prior to the 7-footer’s decision to ink a lucrative five-year, $238 million extension to stay with that lottery-bound squad long-term.
Read more: Lauri Markkanen Reveals Why He Signed Massive Extension With Jazz
Markkanen has been solid individually, but he hasn’t helped Utah actually win a game yet this year. He’s averaging 18.0 points on .385/.450/.852 shooting splits, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists a night in his four healthy games this year for the 0-5 Jazz.
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Golden State also apparently made a bid for nine-time All-Star forward Paul George’s services, before the 6-foot-8 Fresno State product opted instead to ink a four-year, $211.6 million maximium contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The oft-injured George is already hurt, and has yet to play a regular season game with Philadelphia in this young season.
Read more: Draymond Green Reveals Huge Details on Warriors’ Failed Paul George Pursuit
The Warriors opted to replace Thompson with major depth along the wing, bringing on former Sixers guards De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield, plus former Minnesota Timberwolves backup forward Kyle Anderson.
Golden State is off to an encouraging 4-1 start, although with All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry injured, the team’s ceiling is limited until he can return.
Now, it appears that another impressive frontcourt star had been viewed as a trade target for Dunleavy and co.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports that four-time All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns was also the subject of trade discussions between Golden State and the Minnesota Timberwolves during the summer.
The New York Knicks ultimately snagged him instead, for what Slater reveals was thought of as a more desirable trade package.
Read more: Knicks Trading for Karl-Anthony Towns in Shocking Blockbuster Deal
It’s not hard to see why Towns held appeal to the height-challenged Warriors. He’s a legitimate 7-footer who formed a formidable frontcourt defensive package alongside Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and All-Defensive Team small forward Jaden McDaniels, on a 56-26 Timberwolves club that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last spring.
Towns’ biggest attribute, of course, is his offense. The Warriors are second in the NBA with 45 triple tries a game. They’re making a whopping 39.1 percent of those attempts. Towns is a career 39.9 percent 3-point shooter on 4.3 long range attempts a night, and an elite scorer inside the paint, around the midrange and at the foul line. He could have legitimately given the Warriors an opportunity to cultivate a five-out offense without ceding size in the middle.
As it stands now, the former No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is putting up unreal numbers for the 3-2 Knicks. He’s averaging 22.5 points on an elite .585/.727/.952 slash line, along with 11.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 blocks and 0.5 steals.
Golden State will just have to bide its time and count its assets, as it waits for the next All-Star trade target to become available. It appears that could happen sooner than later, if recent reports are to be believed…
Read more: Warriors ‘Monitoring’ Jimmy Butler Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline
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