Zach LaVine may no longer be an option for the Golden State Warriors ahead of the NBA trade deadline, but it remains likely that the front office will do something here over the coming days.
The Warriors' stunning pursuit of Kevin Durant, LeBron James and a number of other All-Stars is proof of just that, with any trade likely to see the franchise send out more players than they bring back in.
Torrey Craig should be on the Warriors radar
In the case of a lopsided trade (e.g 4-for-1 or 5-for-2 player deal), the Warriors will be left to fill out the remainder of their roster following the deadline. In good news for them, the buyout market is starting to materialize with some solid rotational players that are already available.
Perhaps the most notable of those is Torrey Craig, the veteran wing who was waived by the Chicago Bulls on Monday according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. After dealing LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, the Bulls needed to open up roster spots to take on Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones in the 3-team trade.
That led to Craig being waived alongside former lottery pick Chris Duarte who was taken one pick ahead of Moses Moody at 13th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Craig is likely to have suitors across the league, with the 34-year-old having been a rotational playoff piece with the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns in the past.
Craig appeared in just nine games (one start) with Chicago this season prior to his departure, but shot 39.2% from 3-point range in 19.8 minutes per game with the franchise last season. He also shot 39.5% from beyond the arc in 24.7 minutes per game with the Suns in 2022-23.
Adding another three-and-D type wing could be important for Golden State after the deadline, particularly if they were to move on from starting small forward Andrew Wiggins in the coming days.
If the Warriors were to trade for a big salary piece -- say the dream of Kevin Durant comes to fruition -- then Wiggins is likely to be the big salary piece included in the deal. That would make someone like Craig an attractive option as someone with a needed skillset and the added bonus of playoff experience.
The eight-year veteran averages 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds on 35.5% 3-point shooting over his career, but has made a living mostly from his defensive exploits as an athletic 6'7" forward.
