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| Richard Jefferson will play the rest of the season - and beyond - as a Golden State Warrior. |
The Warriors trading for Stephen Jackson was a bit shocking.
As Dallas mentioned in his piece, Jackson burned almost every bridge on his way out of Oakland, so it's no wonder they flipped him quickly after acquiring him.
Jackson will be playing in San Antonio for the time-being and Richard Jefferson will be joining Golden State. Additionally, the Warriors receive the Spurs' first-round pick in this year's draft and T.J. Ford.
Ford is the weird piece to the deal. There's been some talk of him retring due to a neck injury, but the Warriors are mum on the subject except for the fact that San Antonio requested he be part of the deal. Either way, Warriors fans should not worry about Ford too much - he's not the important piece of the deal.
Richard Jefferson is not near as good as he used to be, and certainly is not worth the $10M he will receive next season. He also has a player option for the 2013-2014 season worth about $11M. $10M is what Jackson would have made, so that amount of money isn't a huge hit, but it's still something the Warriors should try to deal with as they rebuild. If anything, Jefferson can be a good filler for next year and if the Warriors are struggling as they rebuild around Curry, Bogut, Thompson, and Lee, Jefferson won't take the player option. That's the best case scenario. In reality, the deal isn't about Jefferson - it's about guaranteeing the Warriors a first-round pick in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.
The Spurs' first round pick belongs to the Warriors now, assuming San Antonio doesn't miss the playoffs (which isn't going to happen). That potentially gives the Warriors two first round picks in a very loaded draft class, assuming they play bad enough to get themselves into the bottom 7 of the league to secure their own pick after it was involved in a trade years ago with the New Jersey Nets and then later to the Utah Jazz.
That's huge. A deep draft class and two first round picks is great for a team that is rebuilding, especially with an ownership group that is staying committed to winning. If the Warriors can snag a top-tier player and another solid one, Golden State will be in a very good position to build a solid roster.
In another move, the Warriors purchased the rights to an Atlanta Hawks second-round pick, giving them potentially four picks in an excellent draft class. With that amount of picks, the Warriors may also be able to move up in the draft to secure a player they really want. In any case, the draft is something that Warriros fans should really look forward to this year.
Yes, the Warriors have had pretty horrible luck in recent drafts - but that was with different owners. Joe Lacob appears to be committed to building a winning franchise. If the Warriors' picks can pan-out the way they hope (for once), these trades represent a new and exciting start to the franchise despite the fact that the next few months (and maybe next season) will be rough.
All in all, the Warriors made deals this year that needed to be made. As much as it stings seeing Monta play in a Bucks uniform against the Warriors, he needed to be traded if the Warriors want a legitimate chance at competing in this league, as Dallas discusses here. Flipping Jackson makes sense in order to secure another first rounder, despite taking on Jefferson's hefty contract. Assuming injuries and unforeseen factors don't tear this team apart, the rebuilding process has a positive outlook for years to come.
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