Warriors Nearly Nabbed Jaren Jackson Jr Before Porzingis

Golden State held extensive talks to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis before the deadline, but Jackson was ultimately traded to Utah and the Warriors pivoted, landing Kristaps Porziņģis from Atlanta in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. The Warriors also showed interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remained in Milwaukee, leaving Golden State to address its need for size and scoring around Stephen Curry. Merlin sees a team swapping future flexibility for a high-upside tower. Porziņģis brings 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 24.3 minutes this season and should space the floor and deter shots, but his illness history and limited games are the real wild cards as Golden State sits 27-24 at eighth in the West.