Nerlens Noel (Photo : Getty Images)
There is a good chance the Golden State Warriors stand pat until the trade the deadline, and instead explore the buyout market for needed roster improvement.
The Warriors are arguably the most offensively-talented team there is in the league today and their league-best record has been a testament of yet another impressive regular season campaign for the Dubs. There is no doubt the team is still under the experimental phase of their super-team, yet Golden State is still winning at a high rate.
"We're still experimenting, that's the best thing about it," Durant said following the Warriors' win over the Miami Heat, reports CSN Bay Area. "We're still winning at a high rate and we're still trying to figure ourselves out."
However, there are concerns about the Warriors' chances of completely dominating the postseason for another trip to the NBA Finals, with the team a combined 0-5 against some of the league's top teams like the Grizzlies, Rockets, Spurs and Cavs. Golden State's new core roster may have given them a star-studded starting core, but as far as second unit depth, the team does not have the same bench production like it has the past two seasons after losing a handful of key players during the offseason.
One particular void the Warriors need to address is the lack of a versatile big man who can defend, pass and score.
Since losing Andrew Bogut via trade in the past summer, the Warriors have desperately attempted to shore up their interior defense by adding David West, Zaza Pachulia and Javale McGee, all of whom have been doing good jobs defending the paint, but still lacks the rim-protection attribute the Warriors need.
Exploring the trade market could be an option for the Warriors to snag a defensive big man, but with very limited tradable assets, they may not join the surplus of teams looking to improve prior to the February 23 trade deadline. This could force the Warriors to hope a talented center at a cheap price could be available in the buyout market.
There are no legitimate buyout candidates yet that can be confirmed, but one player that is likely to head that path is Nerlens Noel of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Noel has been the subject of several trade rumors this season, with the 76ers yet to address their crowded frontcourt, comprising of Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid and Noel. But while many have touted Noel as the likely odd man out in Philly, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders believes Noel may be difficult to move despite several indications of his exit from the team.
"While there is some urgency to getting the public dispute resolved, there is not a sense that a trade is close," Kyler wrote.
"Noel is a pending free agent, so that complicates a deal value; then, factor in that opposing teams know that the 76ers need to make a deal and it's easy to see why the team may be having a hard time extracting real value when one team is a motivated seller."
If the 76ers won't get any good deals for Noel in return, it is possible they opt to waive the young center after the trade deadline. Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated recently explored the possibility of the Warriors "actively poking around the buyout market later this season," considering the team's scarcity of tradable chips.
"Golden State doesn't really need anything, but one more big man could come in handy by the postseason just in case they need some steady minutes at center. I'd expect Golden State to be actively poking around the buyout market later this season," Nadkarni wrote.
Noel may not have the passing and scoring ability Bogut has, but his presence would tremendously boost the Warriors' interior defense. But whatever the circumstance is, the Warriors' only chance of further improving their roster is hoping a player like Noel becomes available come buyout season.
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