Warriors Trade Targets After Failed Pursuit of Lauri Markkanen (2024)

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Tuesday afternoon that the Utah Jazz plan to offer Lauri Markkanen a monstrous five-year deal worth upwards of $200 million in the coming days, making him untradable for the entire 2024-25 NBA season. With this development, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors can say "night night" to their plans to acquire Markkanen from the Jazz. The Warriors were reportedly in high pursuit of the 27-year-old.

The Jazz and Warriors had their negotiations, but it seems like both sides were unable to find a deal amenable to their liking. Utah reportedly placed a steep price for Markkanen, who has become an All-Star level talent in the league, and had no real intentions of parting ways with its franchise centerpiece unless the offer blew the organization away.

Meanwhile, Golden State was reportedly unwilling to include Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga in the package for Markkanen.

Now that they have lost out on Markkanen, the Warriors are reportedly now preparing to pivot. In his report alongside Tony Jones and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Dubs "are expected to explore smaller-scale deals more actively than is typical in August and September."

It remains to be seen just what Golden State will do to improve its roster and provide Stephen Curry with the right pieces to compete for a championship. With that, here are some "small scale" trades that the Warriors can explore as they pivot from the Lauri Markkanen fallout.

1 Isaiah Stewart

The Pistons big man would beef up Golden State's front court

Despite Steve Kerr's affinity for playing small, the Warriors have always had a need for more size. Who better to beef up their frontcourt than Isaiah Stewart , the man aptly nicknamed "Beef Stew."

Golden State can send a package consisting of Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, and second round picks to acquire Stewart from the Detroit Pistons .

Stewart presents a different archetype of big man than what the Warriors already have. At 6-foot-8, he may be a bit undersized. But his massive 250 pound build will give Golden State another bulky bruiser down low.

He, alongside Draymond Green, would give the Warriors an intimidating and enforcing frontcourt. More importantly, though, he fits especially well with Green because of his skillset.

A career 60.9 percent scorer from within three feet of the basket, Stewart is a capable and strong finisher at the rim. He is a willing cutter and can be a target for Green out of the short-roll.

Moreover, he is also a capable shooter and floor spacer, making him a solid option to pair with the non-shooter Green in the frontcourt. Stewart shot a career-best 38.3 percent from beyond the arc last season.

As for the Pistons, this deal would clear a logjam up front and help them focus on developing their younger big men. Jalen Duren is already looking like their center for the future.

They also selected Ron Holland II with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They also signed power forward Tobias Harris this offseason, so he is expected to log major minutes in the frontcourt.

In addition, the Pistons would get back a solid return for Stewart. They would acquire a promising wing in Moody, a potential trade asset in Payton, and some draft capital. Overall, this trade could benefit both sides.

2 Dorian Finney-Smith

Adding Finney-Smith could allow Warriors to explore Andrew Wiggins trades

With the Brooklyn Nets headed towards a rebuild, perhaps the Warriors can target veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith . Finney-Smith is one of the more coveted role players on the trade market right now after Brooklyn traded away Mikal Bridges this summer. To fast-track their rebuild, it would be best if they parted ways with the 31-year-old as well.

Finney-Smith would be a great trade target for the Warriors to add to their wing depth. Golden State can send a package of Moody and Gary Payton II along with a lottery-protected first round pick in 2025 to acquire the 3-and-D wing from the Nets.

Basketball-wise, Finney-Smith would fit just right in with Golden State. His three-point shooting has tapered off a bit in the last few seasons. But during a three-year stretch with the Dallas Mavericks from the 2019-20 season to the 2021-22 season, Finney-Smith connected on 38.9 percent of his threes on nearly five attempts per game.

But moreover, adding another lengthy wing in Finney-Smith would allow the Warriors to field trades involving Andrew Wiggins , who has been the most talked about trade candidate in Golden State over the past year.

Currently, Golden State is incentivized to keep the 2022 NBA All-Star as he is the team's primary wing defender. But with Finney-Smith in the fold, they would have the leeway to part ways with Wiggins and potentially add a much bigger piece involving Wiggins' $26.2 million price tag for next season.

Finney-Smith is also much cheaper and could essentially be what Wiggins was over the last couple of seasons. The Warriors were banking on the Canadian to be their second scoring option behind Curry.

But if Wiggins can't bring that to the table at his current price, Golden State may be better off paying those needs to someone like Finney-Smith, who will earn $14.9 million this upcoming season and will have a player option worth $15.3 million in 2025-26.

3 Bogdan Bogdanović

A veteran guard who can provide more scoring

If the Warriors want to add more scoring, they could look to bring in veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Atlanta Hawks . There's really no knowing what Atlanta is planning to do, especially after it landed Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick and traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans .

There hasn't been much talk about what direction they will take, especially with Trae Young . But if the Hawks do indeed hit the reset button, Bogdanovic could be available on the market, and the Warriors should look to go after the sharpshooter to bolster their offense.

In this deal, the Warriors send out a huge package involving Moody, Payton, Gui Santos, a lottery-protected first round pick in 2025, and multiple second rounders to land Bogdanovic, who is having a great stint in the Olympics for Serbia in Paris.

The Warriors have already signed a couple of backcourt reinforcements in Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton to replace franchise legend Klay Thompson , who ended his 13-year stint in Golden State by signing with the Mavericks this summer.

A career 38.4 percent three-point shooter, Bogdanovic would be an upgrade in the backcourt for the Warriors, given his consistency from beyond the arc. Likewise, he has also shown the ability to put the ball on the floor and create shots for himself off the dribble, giving them a secondary shot creator behind Curry.

In addition, his arrival would allow Golden State to make trades involving Hield or Melton's friendly contracts down the line, should the team want to make upgrades elsewhere.

The Warriors have had a busy offseason so far, and they may not be done just yet.

Stats provided courtesy of Basketball Reference.