After attaining the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a remarkable 12-3 record to begin the 2024-25 season, the Golden State Warriors have come back down to Earth in recent weeks.
Golden State’s most recent defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets by a score of 119-115 Tuesday night marked their fifth consecutive loss, with the team now sitting at 12-8 and falling to the No. 6 seed.
While plenty of their struggles have to do with the inconsistent play of their two-time league MVP Stephen Curry and the season-ending ACL injury to De’Anthony Melton, some of their most apparent issues have come through their recent lack of bench production and habitual turnover problems.
Specifically, the Warriors’ 2023-24 All-Rookie First Team member Brandin Podziemski hasn’t progressed as well as their top brass imagined he could during the offseason.
Podziemski’s slump has come with averages of 8.0 points and 3.5 assists to go along with 39.0% shooting accuracy from the field and a putrid 20.0% clip from three-point range.
With Podziemski’s offensive downfall continuing through 19 appearances this season, the Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy could be tempted to contact the Utah Jazz to inquire about a skilled scorer with similar qualities to their struggling sophomore guard.
The Utah Jazz acquired Collin Sexton four years after the Cleveland Cavaliers selected the 6-foot-3 guard with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
This season, Sexton is averaging 16.9 points paired with a career-best 42.7% three-point percentage. Sexton’s productive play for a 4-17 Jazz team that could soon initiate a fire sale has put his name firmly in trade speculation.
Sexton’s placement on Utah’s trade block has been discussed in league circles, as recent reports would indicate.
“Collin Sexton will generate a very strong market from contending teams as a starter or score-first sixth man,” shared Forbes’ Evan Sidery via Twitter/X Thursday afternoon.
“Sexton is on a value contract making $18.4 million this year and $19.2 million in 2025-26.”
Sexton’s reliable offensive skill set and defensive intensity could be an attractive asset for Golden State, as it’s plausible to view Sexton as a more polished and proven Podziemski.
The 25-year-old Sexton could be shipped to Golden State for a package likely including Podziemski and another young prospect like Moses Moody, or first-round draft compensation.
The addition of Sexton would provide another scoring option capable of taking pressure off of Curry and Andrew Wiggins through his shot-creation ability.
