Are the Warriors poised to make a roster move?

January 5th marks the date at which teams can sign players to 10-day contracts. In the last few years the Golden State Warriors have added veteran players later in the season to help with the playoff push.

First we had a ill-fated Anderson Varejao experiment, followed by a much more successful return from Matt Barnes.

Will they do the same again this year?

We’ve seen the last few weeks just how deep this team goes as they’ve kept winning despite a rash of injuries. With Damian Jones not even getting a look-in, and Quinn Cook providing decent minutes, the reality is the Warriors run 16 deep.

A potential move?

It will likely depend on who shakes out but without a weak link on the roster, whoever they go after will need to be better than the guys occupying the final spots on the roster. That’s likely to include JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney, and Cook.

As I outlined recently they may actually need a roster spot to keep Cook around if they want to use him in the playoffs, and McGee could be the odd man out.

Now Marcus Thompson of The Athletic reports there may well be something in the works.

Multiple sources confirmed the Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks have discussed a trade. Nothing is imminent, but the Bucks are on the market for a center and the Warriors are overstocked.

The on-and-off conversations between the teams have included the Bucks inquiring about Pachulia and McGee. No doubt, they've asked about Bell but that conversation ended quickly.

Thompson goes on to say Zaza Pachulia is likely off limits, which makes sense given he was the first Warriors big man in three Finals to neutralize Tristan Thompson last year. He’s a valuable piece of the rotation and Kerr loves him for his physicality, screen setting, and playmaking ability.

Possible trade options

However, McGee may well be available. Jordan Bell has superseded him in the rotation, and promises to form a lethal frontcourt for many years to come alongside Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.

Jones is also waiting in the wings and could also provide some of the athleticism McGee has been valuable for.

Of course, Looney is originally from Milwaukee so his name could also come up in these discussions. The fact the Warriors didn’t pick up his option gives them some flexibility.

Whatever happens it’s more likely to be a cap-clearing move than anything returning any value to the Warriors.

But perhaps the real question is whether the Warriors actually need another player, given the depth that’s been on display in recent weeks — I’ll look in more detail at that question next week.

(S/O) GSoM reader dubsofbluedream for posting a FanShot about this first.)