The Warriors attempted to make a big move before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. <\/p>\n
No, not that big move. <\/p>\n
Golden State, before it focused almost all of its attention on a blockbuster trade for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, which never came to fruition before Milwaukee ultimately decided to hold onto him<\/a> at the deadline, tried to swing big with a trade for another star player. <\/p>\n Before the Bucks reportedly started listening to offers for Antetokounmpo in the weeks leading up to the deadline, the Warriors were discussing a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for center Jaren Jackson Jr., ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Thursday on “NBA Today.”<\/p>\n “Couple weeks ago, the Warriors had some pretty extensive conversations with the Memphis Grizzlies about Jaren Jackson Jr., but they tabled those conversations because I think the Warriors were talking about two first-round picks; it would have been a similar type of deal to what Utah did,” Shelburne said. <\/p>\n “But then Giannis was maybe available, and so they tabled those conversations because they needed those picks in the Giannis trade, and then Utah came in with three first-round picks. And so they come out in the end here with Kristaps Porzingis.”<\/p>\n The 26-year-old Jackson Jr., a two-time NBA All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 47.5-percent shooting from the field and 35.9 percent from 3-point range in 45 games with Memphis this season. The Grizzlies traded him to the Utah Jazz for three first-round draft picks, rookie guard\u00a0Walter Clayton Jr., and forwards\u00a0Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang on Tuesday.<\/p>\n After Jackson Jr. was traded to Utah, and the Warriors got the sense Milwaukee was not going to trade Antetokounmpo<\/a>, Golden State pivoted and traded forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night for Porzingis<\/a>. <\/p>\n The 7-foot-2 Latvian big man certainly is not the impact player Antetokounmpo or Jackson Jr. is, but when healthy, he should offer Golden State much-needed size, scoring and defense for the stretch run.<\/p>\n