Warriors Trade Idea for Huge Center Upgrade If They Lose Giannis Sweepstakes

The Golden State Warriors are all-in on landing Giannis Antetokounmpo by the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but if either a) he gets traded elsewhere or b) the Bucks signal to the league that they are choosing to keep him until the offseason, the Warriors will need to pivot.

In any event, the Bucks will likely be tanking for the rest of the season, and that should make Myles Turner available.

Here is a trade idea in which Milwaukee's starting center lands in the Bay.

The Trade

Warriors Get: Myles Turner
Bucks Get: Jonathan Kuminga, Quinten Post, Trayce Jackson-Davis, top-20-protected 2032 first-round pick

Why the Warriors Do It

The Warriors would love to get a wing upgrade, but if all decent options are too pricy, they could settle for a center improvement.

Turner is averaging just 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but for the 10th consecutive season, his team's defense is better with him on the court than off, per Cleaning the Glass.

That's because Turner is a caliber of rim protector the Warriors haven't had since the 2015-16 season with Andrew Bogut. Turner isn't blocking as many shots as he was in his prime (averaging 1.7 this season), but the 6'11" 29-year-old still strikes fear into opposing drivers.

Turner isn't a go-to option on offense, but he does shoot the three-ball well. He's at 39.0 percent this season after setting a career-high at 39.6 percent last season.

From a play-style perspective, Turner and Post aren't that different. They are both stretch 5s and good team defenders. But Post is shooting much worse from three (35.2 percent) and isn't the rim protector Turner is.

Over the last 15 games, Post is a minus-35. Meanwhile, Al Horford is a plus-87. Instead of accepting the reality that Post could hurt their chances of making the playoffs, the Warriors get Turner to bolster their center rotation. They can play Turner or Horford essentially every minute of every game that both are healthy, turning a minor weakness into a strength.

Why the Bucks Do It

The Bucks are about to be one of the worst teams in the NBA, and therefore they have no use for Turner. So they should look to sell him to the highest bidder.

About two months ago, I would've had his value at a higher-value first-round pick. But now I'm not sure how much of a market there is for a center making $25.3 million averaging just 5.5 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.

So they settle for a heavily protected first-round pick and a package with two pretty intriguing young players.

Of course, Kuminga is the wild card that could make this trade a boon. He'd play heavy minutes for the rest of the season, and the Bucks would be banking on him improving his trade value for the offseason.

Post is a restricted free agent this offseason, giving the Bucks a great chance to re-sign him. He could be a nice trade chip at the next trade deadline if he finds his three-point shot.