WORRISOME TRADE : Worriors deadline deal crashed before it could even happen

After the long-awaited NBA trade deadline officially ended on Thursday, we’re now learning more details about some of the events that occurred before the league cutoff date. Ultimately, the league saw a largely quiet day, but that doesn’t mean clubs weren’t putting in extra effort behind the scenes to create a big impression.

The Golden State Warriors were one of the teams that was working nonstop. Even though we didn’t witness them engaging in any activities on the day of the deadline, they made a tremendous effort.

Before the deadline, the Warriors were one of the teams showing interest in former Utah Jazz big man Kelly Olynyk, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Golden State and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso are said to have had “very serious” talks on the 11-year veteran:

“Teams were calling about Andrew Wiggins, and [the Warriors] had really serious talks about Alex Caruso and Kelly Olynyk… Everyone stated, “We are never trading Jonathan Kuminga,” in response to requests for him. He is impervious.”

Rather than going to the Bay, Olynyk wound up joining Ochai Agbaji and the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a predicted late first-round choice for this summer’s draft. Ultimately, the Warriors chose not to take a position on Thursday.

Olynyk would have provided Golden State with a significant offensive lift by virtue of his special blend of size, shooting, and playmaking abilities. He established himself as a dependable leader for Utah’s second unit and probably would have contributed similarly for the Warriors.

Even if they choose to stay conservative, so far it seems like the right choice. Golden State has triumphed in seven of their last eight games, most recently in a resounding victory against the Jazz on Monday night. Sometimes, doing nothing at all is the right course of action.

Even though the Jazz were able to acquire a player such as Wiggins from the Warriors or a comparable amount of draft capital, they still received a first-round pick and some expiring contracts in exchange, which is a good return for what they had to give up. It enables Utah to continue building for the long term and relying on its young movement going ahead.