The Golden State Warriors currently hold a 14-12 record and are positioned as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference on the heels of three consecutive losses to some of the conference’s best competition in the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.
Their most recent defeat at the hands of Memphis Thursday night came in the form of a brutal 144-93 pummeling where the Grizzlies connected on a franchise record 27 three-pointers on a 56.3% shooting clip from distance.
Golden State came out flat from the beginning in what was supposed to be a momentous occasion, as their recent trade acquisition Dennis Schröder made his highly anticipated debut with the franchise.
Even after adding an offensive weapon and competitive defender in Schröder, Golden State couldn’t stop the Grizzlies from getting whatever they wanted when either attacking the basket or pulling up from long range.
In the aftermath of their horrible performance Thursday, the Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy could be tempted to pick up the phone and contact the New Orleans Pelicans to inquire about their defensive prodigy and improving contributor on offense, Herb Jones.
The 26-year-old was taken with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by New Orleans, and he’s since become an All-Defensive First Team selection and fifth-place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Last season, Jones proved to be one of the best defensive players in all of the Association while simultaneously knocking down 41.8% of his attempts from three-point range for New Orleans.
With the injury-riddled Pelicans currently sporting the worst record in the Western Conference at 5-23, it’s been rumored that Jones could be available for trade as the team may opt to hit the reset button.
Jones’ efficiency from the field has dropped considerably this season, but his defensive consistency and career-best 1.8 steals could make him an incredibly attractive option for Golden State.
In their last five contests, the Warriors possess the NBA’s No. 27 defensive rating with a figure of 119.9.
This output will not be conducive to title contention or extending the championship window of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green unless Dunleavy can pull off a desperately needed trade to bring in reinforcements on the defensive side of the floor.
In a potential deal for Jones, the Warriors would likely give up prospects like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody while also supplying New Orleans with sufficient draft compensation to assist in their rebuilding process.
