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The Sacramento Kings acquired Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, surprising fans. However, the Golden State Warriors were also in the mix as they were interested in both LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
The Warriors explored potential trade scenarios where they would receive both LaVine and Vucevic from the Bulls to likely pair with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. However, they went in a different direction, per NBA insider Mark Stein.
“League sources say that the Warriors did seriously explore trade constructions that would have brought both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević to the Bay Area before Golden State opted to focus on other trade pursuits,” Stein said.
How Nikola Vucevic could have benefitted Warriors
With the Sacramento Kings taking Zach LaVine, the Warriors' door of bringing both him and Nikola Vucevic is now closed shut.
However, they could still consider the prospect of acquiring Vucevic in a separate deal. As a veteran big man, he still provides quality shooting and rebounding as one of the more consistent players on a Bulls squad that is heading towards a rebuild.
This season, Vucevic is averaging 19.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He is shooting 54.7% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. He has racked up 31 double-doubles so far, scoring 20 or more points 23 times.
Vucevic would provide a lot of spacing to the Warriors' frontcourt as a stretch 5. As one of the better shooters in the league as a big man, he would add another layer to the offense for Curry and the team to take advantage.
The Warriors currently have a 24-24 record, tied with the Kings for 10th in the Western Conference standings. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games, one game behind the Dallas Mavericks for ninth place.
Until they figure out their approach before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline arrives, the Warriors will prepare for their next matchup against the Orlando Magic on Monday at 10 p.m. ET.
