The Golden State Warriors are reportedly searching for another star talent to pair with future Hall of Fame guard Stephen Curry in their hunt for another championship.
Curry and veteran big Draymond Green were unavailable for the Warriors’ recent win over the Houston Rockets to snap a five-game losing stretch, but even with the stalwart pair available, the need for another big name to keep pace in the ever-extending Western Conference arms race is evident.
Charania believes Golden State is genuinely pursuing a ‘star’.
“I’m told that the Warriors are on (a) real hunt for a star; a playmaker, a scorer alongside Stephen Curry,” Charania told ESPN’s NBA Today.
“Think back to the summer when they pursued Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz, they made a pitch for Paul George as a free agent (then) with the Clippers.”
Charania explained that the seven-time champs are deciphering whether the ‘star’ they desire should come from a rival franchise, or whether there is one already right under their nose.
“The debate with the Warriors and teams that look into that situation is, for them, are they going to find that (star player) externally outside of this roster currently? Or will it be in-house, with a player like Jonathan Kuminga?” Charania asked, before providing context.
That relationship between Jonathan Kuminga and Steve Kerr (is) something that Warriors officials have been monitoring over the last year or so, and how he fits in when Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are back in the line-up will be interesting to monitor.
The Warriors’ future will be shaped over the next few weeks and the next couple of months before the trade deadline. How can they get that next championship with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green?
The 22-year-old Kuminga scored a season-high 33 points against the Rockets in the absence of Curry and Green, but his longer-term fit with the four-time champs remains under observation.
Given the Warriors’ previous interest in forwards Markkanen and George, might they have seriously surveyed 6’8 forward Ingram before he suffered his latest injury?
In the 17 games prior to his costly ankle ailment, the 27-year-old averaged 23.2 points on 46.8—37.2—84.9 shooting splits.
On an expiring deal after failing to agree on a contract extension with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingram is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the off-season.
Moreover, ESPN’s Charania also previously said of the situation: “I’m told Brandon Ingram wants to be part of a winning competitive environment.”
And while the Pelicans could be easily tempted to deal the North Carolina native given their grim season thus far — they are now 5-20 following costly injuries to Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray early in the campaign — moving Ingram in-season might have just become all the more difficult due to his injury.
Slightly shorter guard types, such as Chicago’s Zach LaVine and Miami’s Jimmy Butler — those who still fit the ‘playmaking, scoring’ mould — could also be on Golden State’s radar.
The Warriors own their first-round pick in the upcoming draft and in 2026, as well as Atlanta’s second-rounders in 2026 and 2028.
LaVine has long been linked to a departure from the Bulls despite consistently publicly pledging his loyalty to the franchise, while Butler could be a less-popularised trade candidate after a few unfulfilled seasons in South Beach.
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