NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Centers Linked to Warriors

So it appears that the Golden State Warriors are not on the Jimmy Butler train. As one of the smallest teams in the NBA, they'd prefer to bring in a big man, a center, if they make a move.

According to insider Marc Spears, there are five names that the Dubs are considering:

“I’m hearing that the Warriors literally want to go bigger than Jimmy Butler—they’re one of the most undersized teams in the league. So they’re trying to get a big—Right now the Warriors seem much more interested in adding a big to go along Draymond than another SG.” @MarcJSpears pic.twitter.com/ZZJOia28uG
— Dru (@dru_star) January 7, 2025

Those names are as follows:

Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
John Collins, Utah Jazz
Jonas Valanciunas, Washington Wizards
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Vucevic seems to be the Warriors' No. 1 target in the pivot, says Spears. His $20M salary (and $21M in the final year of his deal next season) is a much more reasonable addition to the bottom line, financially, and addresses a need in the middle.

With Danny Ainge at the helm, nobody is safe on the Jazz, and either of young center Kessler, or veteran power forward Collins could be had for the right price.

Valanciunas (whose name Spears has no idea how to pronounce) will almost certainly be dealt, with his reasonable $10M salary for the next two seasons after this one. The Lakers, however, have frequently been linked to JV as well.

As for Turner, both he and the Pacers seem to want to extend their partnership, but he is an impending free agent after the season, so we'll have to see how that goes.

One thing is for sure: the Warriors will be active as we approach the trade deadline in four weeks.