3 Players the Warriors Should Have Traded for at the Trade Deadline

The 2026 trade deadline has come and gone, and the Golden State Warriors had a disappointing result.

They put all their eggs in the Giannis Antetokounmpo basket until they were sure they weren't getting him before pivoting to a deal for Kristaps Porzingis.

With Jonathan Kuminga's team-friendly contract and ownership of their next seven first-round picks, the Warriors could have gotten a better player than Porzingis.

Here are three players they should have traded for instead.

C Ivica Zubac

About an hour before the trade deadline, the Indiana Pacers traded two high-value first-round picks, Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and one second-round pick to the Clippers for Zubac and Kobe Brown.

To beat that package, the Warriors would have likely had to offer their two most valuable first-round picks in 2030 and 2032.

But Zubac is worth it.

The 7-footer is averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, and he's one of the best defensive centers in the sport.

And he has arguably the best contract in the league, as he's on three-year contract making a little over $60 million.

He would have fixed many of the Warriors' defensive issues and their paint-scoring problem, as they rank 29th in points in the paint per game.

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr.

While the Warriors were still holding out hope for Giannis, the Utah Jazz made a surprise trade for Jackson. The final package was Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three first-round picks for Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr.

One of the picks is a 2027 Lakers first-rounder, which isn't especially valuable. Of the other two, the one that has the potential to be most valuable is the 2031 Suns first-rounder.

The Warriors probably could have beaten this package with Kuminga, two unprotected first-round picks and one first-round swap.

In some ways, Jackson is a better fit than Zubac. Though he's not even close to Zubac as a rebounder, he's a better shooter and scorer, as he's averaging 19.2 points per game and shooting 35.9 percent from three. And he's a better shot-blocker, which is one the reasons he won the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year award.

The issue with trading for Jackson would have been a nightmarish cap sheet for the 2026-27 season when Jackson's salary jumps to $49 million.

But the Warriors have just one contract on the books for the 2027-28 season, so one could argue team governor Joe Lacob should have paid the 2026-27 tax penalty to help Stephen Curry compete in his last season under contract.

C Anthony Davis

The caveat here is the Warriors couldn't offer the type of immediate and future cap savings the Wizards could, which was a big part of the reason the Mavericks made the trade.

But the Warriors certainly could have beaten the Wizards' package otherwise.

The Mavs got a 2026 Thunder first-round pick, which could easily be the 30th pick, and the Warriors' top-20-protected 2030 first. Those first-round picks are about as valueless as firsts can be.

Aside from that, it was three expiring contracts in Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III and Malaki Branham, 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson and three second-round picks.

The Warriors could have beaten that package with one of their most valuable first-round picks, Kuminga and salary filler. That salary filler might have had to include Draymond Green, but Davis is such an upgrade that it would have been a justified gamble.

Even in a bit of a down year, the 32-year-old is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Davis' injury history is scary, as he's currently out until at least late February with a hand injury. Of the three players here, he's the one I'd least want the Warriors to go for partially due to his contract, which includes a 2027-28 player option for $62.8 million. But possibly for just one first-round pick, he would have been worth it.