Dubs in-depth: Should Kelly Oubre Jr. be a trade target for the Warriors?

With the Golden State Warriors 2019-20 season already in the books, the focus will be on trying to acquire the right pieces to help the franchise get back among the NBA elite.

Armed with two first-round picks that could be at the top of the draft board between now and 2022, plus a $17.2 million trade exception, general manager Bob Myers has a lot of options to fill out the roster around Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

The Athletic’s Anthony Slater is looking at potential trade targets for the Dubs in a weekly series, and this time he looks at Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. With the Suns likely to get a lottery pick, Slater says there is a path to deal between the two teams:

“That presents a win-win pick swap scenario: Phoenix jumps up to get the prospect whose timeline and controllable contract pair perfectly with their young core, the Warriors walk away on draft night with at least a season of Oubre (sliding into their $17.2 million trade exception before it expires) and a later lottery prospect they still believe will develop into a valued long-term core member.”

Oubre would give the Warriors another wing option to play alongside Curry, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. The 24-year-old is averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and shooting 35.2% from deep this season. Oubre took 5.5 3-pointers per game during the year, and as Slater points out, most came in catch-and-shoot scenarios. He’s 6’7, and a good wing defender, something Golden State desperately needs.

I like Slater’s suggestion that the Dubs could swap picks with the Suns. With Phoenix most likely ending up with the 10th or 11th pick, it would give the Warriors the chance to add a young talent such as Isaac Okoro, Killian Hayes or Devin Vassell, provided they’re still on the board.

The downside of the deal is that Oubre is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season, meaning Golden State would have to re-sign him at a pretty hefty price.

What do you think of Oubre’s potential fit with the Warriors?

On to some links:

What if LeBron James never left Cleveland the first time? NBC Bay Area’s Marcus White says if James didn’t sign with the Miami Heat, the rivalry with the Warriors may have never been born.

Speaking of LeBron, do you remember when Golden State played the Heat for the first time after James signed with Miami? NBC Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson revisited the meeting, and gave an in-depth look at some of the numbers from that game.

The Dubs’ free agency options will be limited due to only having the mid-level exception. Fansided’s Nathan Bieghle looks at five low-price free agents who could be options for Golden State.

Vince Carter recently announced his retirement after playing 22 seasons. He crossed paths with an 11-year-old Curry while with the Raptors, and says he could see the greatness in Steph way back then. (Clutch Points)