The Golden State Warriors have a bright young star in their frontcourt. Second-round draft pick Jordan Bell looks like the kind of guy who can anchor Golden State’s defense for years to come, as his defensive instincts and ability to rebound the basketball have turned him into, quite possibly, the Warriors’ best big man.
Of course, this puts the team in a weird spot, as Golden State has a pair of veteran centers who played major roles in their title campaign last season. Both Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee signed deals to return to the team this past offseason, but more and more, Bell is eating into their minutes and looks like he might threaten to take the starting center job.
It turns out that Bell’s emergence could mean one of these two big men have to go, with Marcus Thompson of The Athletic (via Golden State of Mind) writing that it could be McGee. The Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly had conversations regarding McGee and Pachulia’s futures, noting that Pachulia “is going to be hard to pry” away.
Multiple sources confirmed the Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks have discussed a trade. Nothing is imminent, but the Bucks are on the market for a center and the Warriors are overstocked. The on-and-off conversations between the teams have included the Bucks inquiring about Pachulia and McGee. No doubt, they’ve asked about Bell but that conversation ended quickly.
Golden State certainly isn’t in a position where it absolutely needs to make a move, even if they could get something back for one of their two veteran bigs. Milwaukee, meanwhile, needs some frontcourt help, and McGee is the kind of big and athletic player the team has tried to build around in recent years. Basically, a move makes sense, but whether this is anything more than just rumors remains to be seen.
