Evaluating fans' trade proposals for Warriors this summer

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It's that time of year when those who failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs begin to twiddle their thumbs and imagine all of the what-if scenarios.

For the second time in two years, the Warriors and their fans are in that group. 

What if it was the Warriors, and not the Memphis Grizzlies, currently going up against the Utah Jazz? What if, instead of the Los Angeles Lakers, it was Golden State playing the Phoenix Suns? Maybe the Warriors wouldn't have made it out of the first round, but could they have put up a fight?

Those dreamt-up scenarios can be disappointing because, well, the Warriors didn't make the playoffs. So, the what-ifs start to look toward the future and take shape in the form of potential draft picks, free-agent signings and trades.

My "Dubs Talk" podcast cohost, Grant Liffmann, and I wanted to hear the scenarios Dub Nation was thinking up, so we took to Twitter to get some of your thoughts. Then, we broke them down and discussed two things. How would each player fit in with the Warriors? And, is it feasible? 

Those two things definitely can be mutually exclusive. So, here are the trades that you, Dub Nation, proposed:

Pascal Siakam

It's not at all surprising to see Pascal Siakam's name brought up in this conversation. He has been connected to the Warriors since the trade deadline back in March, and it makes sense. 

Siakam would fit in nearly perfectly with the Warriors. 

He does his best work when he is the secondary or tertiary option on a team, as he was alongside Kawhi Leonard for one championship season with the Toronto Raptors. And that's exactly what he would be on the Warriors behind Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. 

From a salary standpoint, Andrew Wiggins would have to be traded in order for the Warriors to be able to take on Siakam. That raises the question: What does Siakam bring, positionally, that Wiggins doesn't already do, or couldn't do for Golden State?

The other big part of this equation is what do the Raptors want to do? Will they even consider trading Siakam? If not, this conversation stops before it begins. And then, if they are willing to trade him, what do they want back? Wiggins probably wouldn't be enough on his own. So, would the Warriors be willing to give up more of their future -- such as James Wiseman and future picks -- for a player who, if they acquired, would need to make them win right now? 

The Indiana Pacers

What I mentioned above -- the question of if the Raptors would consider moving on from Siakam -- is a common thread through most of the proposed trades we received. 

Take these ones, saying the Warriors should go after the Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. While their season ended before they wanted it to, the Pacers, like the Warriors, aren't in full rebuild mode. They are looking for a few extra pieces to take them to the next level and become a playoff team. And it doesn't make sense to get rid of those players -- who have been three main pieces of their puzzle -- for guys such as Wiggins and Wiseman, who wouldn't necessarily help them win right now. 

That being said, from the Warriors' point of view, do these acquisitions sound appealing? Yes. 

Brogdon would be an ideal player to put next to Curry. He has good shooting percentages (45.3 percent from the field, 49.3 percent from three this past season) and is a strong defensive player, as well. He's the kind of player you put on the court and he makes sure everyone is on the same page -- just the kind of vet the Warriors need. 

As for Sabonis, what isn't there to want about another All-Star? And Myles Turner, he could have been a Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season and is what the Warriors want Wiseman to become.

In any of these trade scenarios with the Pacers, Golden State probably would have to give up Wiseman and Wiggins, if not more. And when it comes to getting a big man such as Turner, would it be worth giving up a wing as well?

The pipe dreams

Here is when we start to get into pipe dream territory. 

Would the Warriors love to add Paul George or Kawhi Leonard? Yes. Jaylen Brown? Absolutely. Bradley Beal? He would be a dream fit. 

But that's just it -- a dream. No, we don't know what is going to happen, but the reality is, it would take a lot for any of these players' respective teams to give them up.

For players such as Beal and Brown, they are at the center of their team's core. Beal is the main reason the Washington Wizards even qualified for the playoffs, and Brown has been desperately missed by the Boston Celtics in their series against the Brooklyn Nets. Neither Boston nor Washington are looking at the current makeup of their rosters and thinking, we don't need these guys. 

https://twitter.com/vinnieyourday/status/1399570572812685314
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As for Ingram, he is due for a big contract in the not-too-distant future. The Warriors would have to be very sure that he would be better than Wiggins -- who almost certainly would have to be headed the other way -- in addition to all of the other pieces New Orleans would want in return. That kind of commitment might be too much for the Warriors to put into Ingram right now, as it's unclear if he would be that one piece that puts the Warriors back into title contention.

For any of these players, the Warriors would have to give up a lot to get them, which would leave their bench depleted. They dealt with that issue this season, and need to avoid making it worse.

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