Some of the best and --- let's be honest -- worst conversations regarding the Warriors take place on social media.
Strong voices and opinions of Dub Nation defend or criticize their squad, not afraid to share their thoughts with absolute authority. Many of these personalities live on Twitter, where everyone can be a general manager, coach, critic, troll and/or hot-taker.
In our Warriors Twitter Roundtable, we will share a five-part series of questions designed to touch on the major conversations floating around the Warriors Twitter world. Answering the questions will be a panel of some of the more prominent and revered voices within the community.
Part 1 had our panel name the five best players in the NBA, while Part 2 answered whether or not the Warriors should be considered contenders right now. Part 3 asked the panel to identify their ideal candidate to be acquired on the mid-level exception.
[RUNNIN' PLAYS PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]
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Here is Part 4:
Who is your ideal (and reasonably realistic) addition for the Warriors with the trade exception?
@poormanscommish: I’m going to borrow my esteemed NBA journalists’ ideas again and go for broke on their suggestion of enticing the Minnesota Timberwolves to get James Johnson off their books (using said TPE), then flipping him and the Warriors’ 2021 first-round pick to the Orlando Magic for Aaron Gordon. This is all based on the premise that the Steph/Klay/Dray window is closing, of course, and has the consequence of the Warriors having to hold off on finding someone from a loaded 2021 Draft who Steph might eventually pass the torch to.
@samesfandiari: This one is the toughest Q of all. So many factors w/ re: to TPE. Where do they pick? What does the player cost to acquire? There are players I'd like but aren't worth 2-3 first-round picks. Gut opinion: Aaron Gordon. Orlando has passively considered moving him the last year. Perhaps this is an ideal opportunity to unload him for a different type of player. Gordon is a super athlete, has shown he's capable of guarding multiple positions and can pass a little bit. He'd be a welcome addition to warriors core.
@Jannelle12: I was against the idea at first but I'm inclined to say acquiring Michael Carter-Williams on the minimum would be a steal. The Warriors need to solidify their defense and Carter-Williams provides versatility and length. Another solid target would be Derrick Rose. He was shooting as high as 37 percent from deep in Minnesota a year ago. For the Pistons, he's been efficient. He can steady the second unit while Steph is on the bench.
@AndyKHLiu: With Brian Windhorst's article, I would guess the Warriors are doubling down and getting ready to spend during a time that no one else can or will. Whether that be in the form of using the trade exception to eat a contract or buying first-round picks, Joe Lacob is in a unique situation to take advantage of being one of the richest franchises in the NBA. That is why I think they will be willing to use most if not all of the trade exception in acquiring Aaron Gordon. They would have to bring in another team or find a bridge contract to get to Aaron Gordon in next year's trade deadline. And beyond that, the next few years would send their tax bill to astronomical levels. All that being said, I think if the option is on the table, the Warriors do it. Aaron Gordon would be the bigger version of the hybrid wing/big that Andrew Wiggins is (hybrid guard/forward). Both were stuck in bad situations with immense talent that the Warriors hope Steph Curry fixes. And he will. With the finishing lineup Steph at the 1, Wiggins at the 2, Klay at the 3, Gordon at the 4, Draymond at the 5, how's Death Lineup 3.0 for you?
@GSWReddit: Assuming the Warriors don’t want to trade away either their 2021 Minnesota pick or their 2020 1st (or at the most would only do a pick swap for the 5-15 range), there’s quite a limitation on what sort of player they could get for the TPE. Someone who could make some sense for both parties would be Rudy Gay. The Spurs seem to be edging towards a youth movement and an upheaval of their roster and Gay might be someone they are willing to part with just to move on from him and his salary alone (or maybe for some sort of low-level asset like a second-rounder). The Warriors could use a big wing who can play as a 3/4 in their lineups and a veteran like Gay can offer them a scoring punch off the bench and mentorship for their very young roster. If I recall correctly, the Warriors actually had some interest in Gay prior to him signing with the Spurs in 2017, so it’s definitely a union that could make sense and probably a realistic get for them.
My take (@grantliffmann): Aaron Gordon would take a lot of maneuvering to pull off, and I am not sure the Warriors will want to take their time to do so if it means sacrificing assets and passing up other opportunities. Rudy Gay has been a name that has popped up in rumors, and would typically make sense, if the front office figured they would be getting the 2018-19 version of him versus the one this season that struggled mightily. If the Warriors were not looking to spend all of the TPE, however, names like Tomas Satoranksy and Derrick Rose could be perfect additions to the backcourt.