Deandre Ayton gave the Warriors all they could handle on Tuesday night, dropping 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns beat Golden State 104-96 at Footprint Center.
While discussing the high-profile matchup on his podcast, The Ringer's Bill Simmons explained that he believes the Suns and Ayton exposed the Warriors' biggest weakness in handing Golden State its third loss of the season.
Simmons posed that a hypothetical trade centered around swapping James Wiseman with Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner could make their rotation even more potent.
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"If there was a Wiseman-Myles Turner thing, where those were the principles of some deal, and I'm putting Myles Turner in the game I just watched, they have a better chance to win," Simmons explained.
The problem in Simmons' eyes is the Warriors' ability to defend elite frontcourt players like Ayton. Outside of Draymond Green, Kevon Looney is not able to do much against a player of Ayton's size and skill.
Looney started Tuesday night's game, as he had in the previous 20 games. However, Looney played just 17 minutes and wasn't able to offer much resistance.
Turner leads the NBA with 2.8 blocked shots per night, and is averaging 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds with a 39.4 percent clip from behind the 3-point line. Indiana has started the season 9-14, and long have been rumored to be interested in moving Turner with All-Star Domantas Sabonis also occupying the starting frontcourt.
Golden State Warriors
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A player like Turner, who doubles as an elite rim protector and well-above-average 3-point shooter, likely represents the best-case scenario for Wiseman as a pro. With the Warriors clearly a championship contender, should they be willing to wait and see if Wiseman can make the strides they believe he can after missing eight months with a meniscus tear?
The Warriors have been nothing but supportive of Wiseman since drafting him No. 2 overall in 2020, and have pushed back publicly on every notion of him being a trade candidate.
Simmons clarified his trade conversation on Twitter shortly after the podcast was released, tossing out a potential trade that would also involve the Oklahoma City Thunder and send Kevon Looney out as well.
Phoenix is the reigning Western Conference champions, and the road to the NBA Finals for the Warriors likely means an eventual playoff series against the Suns.
If the Warriors don't believe Looney and Wiseman can get it done against the best of the best in the league, perhaps they will look to Turner or another big man to bolster the frontcourt.