Warriors predicted to cut ties with Buddy Hield, acquire struggling $80 million ex-Lakers guard

Golden State Warriors fans should brace themselves as the Feb. 5 trade deadline looms closer. 

All eyes are on Milwaukee Bucks standout forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, it isn’t a given that Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Dubs will pry him away from Milwaukee this year. 

If Antetokounmpo doesn’t join the Warriors, the franchise may have to settle for a less impactful contributor who was never a priority target. 

Blue Man Hoop’s Peter O’Keefe has a hunch that a struggling former Los Angeles Lakers guard could be the asset the Warriors acquire by next Thursday via a Buddy Hield-centered deal. 

“(Lonzo) Ball is on a $10 million deal and has a $10 million team option for next season, meaning any team that trades for the 28-year-old will have some flexibility moving forward,” O’Keefe wrote Sunday.

“The 6-foot-5 point guard is averaging only 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals this season, shooting a paltry 29.9% from the floor and 26.2% from three-point range.”

“Even despite those lowly numbers, Ball's versatile skillset would be attractive to Golden State in their system, and would likely make him a rotation upgrade over someone like Buddy Hield. Could the Warriors flip Hield and another minimum salary -- say Gary Payton II or Trayce Jackson-Davis -- for Ball in a multi-team trade that aids Cleveland's payroll ambitions?”

“Doing so would almost certainly require a couple of second-round picks at a minimum, something the Warriors may need to acquire from elsewhere given the cupboard is bare (especially in comparison to their first-round picks).”

Ball doesn’t fulfill the Warriors’ current needs. Adding an injury-prone role player who’s appeared in 321 regular-season contests since the start of the 2017-18 season isn’t going to help Stephen Curry remain optimistic about winning another title before retiring. 

Ball, who’s in the midst of completing the least productive season of his career, may have been a more alluring trade target early in his career when his upside was higher. 

However, at present, Ball isn’t the kind of player who should interest the Warriors, even if a trade would allow the Dubs to move on from Hield after a disappointing stint with the franchise.

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