Last season, the Golden State Warriors clinched their second playoff berth in just 19 seasons. The franchise hasn’t experienced much success in recent history, but the Warriors made those two playoff appearances because of a few key trades.
The following three trades are not listed in any particular order. Here are three of the best trades in Warriors history:
Trade #1: On January 17, 2007, the Warriors acquired Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell from the Indiana Pacers for Mike Dunleavy Jr., Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod.
This trade was significant, because it led to the “We Believe” era. The Warriors were 19-20 when the trade was made, and, after the trade, the Warriors offense drastically improved. The Warriors finished 42-40 and earned the eighth seed in the playoffs. The Warriors finished the season over .500 for the first time in over a decade. In the playoffs, the Warriors went on to upset the number one seed in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors finally had a star in Jackson, and Harrington allowed the Warriors to go small and play the run-and-gun style that was so successful. Captain Jack and Harrington truly re-vamped this Warriors team and helped turn them into one of the most exciting, entertaining teams in the NBA.
Trade #2: On February 24, 2005, the Warriors acquired Baron Davis from the New Orleans Hornets for Speedy Claxton, Dale Davis, and cash.
Davis was a transformational force for the Warriors. Before this trade, the Warriors hadn’t had a true franchise player since the Run TMC era. Davis gave them that. Warriors fans immediately loved Davis for his exciting, confident style of play.
As a Warrior, Davis averaged more than 20 points, eight assists, two steals and nearly five rebounds per game. He is among the franchise leaders in three-point field goals, three-point field goal attempts, points per game, assists per game, steals per game, etc. Davis helped turn a Warriors team that had been so bad for so long into a playoff contender.
Trade #3: On March 13, 2012, the Warriors acquired Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson from the Milwaukee Bucks for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown.
This trade was a controversial one for many fans, since Ellis was a fan favorite at the time. However, this is, arguably, the most impactful trade in Warriors history. The Warriors weren’t going to become a legitimate force in the Western Conference with Ellis on their team. He was too selfish, and he wasn’t the leader that the Warriors needed.
By acquiring Bogut, the Warriors finally had that dominant inside presence that they hadn’t had in so long. Although Bogut was injured when they traded for him, he was exactly the type of center the Warriors needed. He’s a defensive-minded beast who plays with a constant stream of effort. Bogut wasn’t able to play all of last season, but every Warriors fan could see how dominant the Warriors could be when Bogut was on the floor.
His presence alone altered an opponent’s offensive approach. If a player was even able to get to the basket, there was a good chance Bogut was going to block their shot or, at least, alter their shot and snag the rebound. If the Warriors can get at least 60 or 70 games out of Bogut this season, then they will certainly be one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference.
With all that being said, which trade do you think was the best trade in Warriors history?
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