Houston Rockets: 3 trades that send Victor Oladipo to the Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets: Victor Oladipo trade to the Golden State Warriors #3

In this trade, the Rockets will send both Victor Oladipo and Danuel House to the Warriors for Andrew Wiggins and their 2023 and 2027 first-round picks. From the Warriors’ perspective, this trade helps them in the immediate and in the future.

Oladipo is an upgrade on Wiggins and offers the Warriors much-needed support for Steph Curry. Wiggins is a slasher and finisher on offense but he lacks the ability to create for others and it has burdened Draymond Green and Curry with all of the playmaking duties.

Green and Curry aren’t poor shot creators but relying so heavily on the pair have made the Warriors’ offense a boom or bust proposition. Either Curry and Green are on the court and they have a real offense or they’re off of it and they’re a hopeless mess.

Even when just one of them is on the court the Warriors get outscored. The Warriors need a third guy and it’s clearly not Wiggins, but Oladipo would fit seamlessly in as the piece that links everything together.

The Warriors are 19-18 but with Oladipo they’d have a real chance to chase down the fourth seed in the West. This would be a big move that sends out future assets for a short-term upgrade, but the Warriors might prefer to swap Wiggins for an expiring deal anyways.

While Wiggins is under contract for two more seasons after this one, the Warriors could desperately use future cap space, and moving Wiggins would free up $31.5 million in 2021-22 and $33.6 million in 2022-23. In the end, acquiring Oladipo works for the Warriors in that it makes this season’s team better and makes their future financial outlook even more promising.

Danuel House is thrown into the deal for salary but he’s a low-cost rotation player that in the proper role is very valuable. The Rockets, in return, get the aftermentioned Wiggins and two future first-round picks.

The 2023 first-round pick is not likely to be all that valuable as Curry, Green, and Klay Thompson will still be quality players, but the 2027 first-round pick has a chance to be incredible.

By the time the 2027 NBA draft comes around, that trio will either be 38 or 37-years-old. There is a real chance that at least one of them will have retired and an even greater chance that the Warriors are one of the worst teams in the league.

The Rockets get the future assets they’ve been keen on stockpiling and they get a player who can help carry the franchise in the short-term in Wiggins. The chances that Wiggins becomes a superstar are almost non-existent but there is still a chance that he could be a borderline All-Star and a valuable contract to facilitate a future trade.

Next: Trade #2