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Counting down the 10 greatest Warriors transactions under Lacob, Guber: Part I
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- Counting down the 10 greatest Warriors transactions under Lacob, Guber: Part I
Counting down the 10 greatest Warriors transactions under Lacob, Guber: Part I originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A relatively futile summer by the Warriors' front office has left a vocal segment of Dub Nation rolling its collective eyes in despair, if not disgust. Their highest hopes were kneecapped by the failure to make a move that would stir the fan base back toward faith.
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Golden State 's shot-callers, however, maintain belief in the roster they will have when training camp opens in less than five weeks. While no one upstairs is pleading for explicit trust, they would like to think they deserve a chance.
The Warriors on Tuesday made a move toward rebuilding that with the addition of Brandon Williams , a cat-quick guard with an elite first step. It's not enough to put them near the top tier of the Western Conference, but it makes them a better offense .
How much trust, though, should the front office be afforded? Given the hits and the misses under the ownership of CEO Joe Lacob and co-chair Peter Guber, we examine what we consider their 10 shrewdest transactions since they took ownership of the franchise 16 years ago.
We count down from No. 10 to No. 6 today in Part I, with Part II coming on Thursday:
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10) Sign-and-trade deal to acquire David Lee (July 2010)
This was Lacob's way of announcing himself to the NBA, making a splash before the ink was dry on the league's approval of new ownership. Golden State was in search of an impact power forward, and Lee was coming off an All-Star season – averaging 20.2 points (on 54.5-percent shooting), 11.7 rebounds – with the New York Knicks .
The cost of obtaining Lee was Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf , Anthony Randolph – the three played a combined 81 games for New York – and two future second-round picks. Then-GM Larry Riley did the grunt work.
Lee was one of the building blocks behind the Warriors escaping NBA purgatory, as he averaged 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over 327 games. He became in 20213 Golden State's first All-Star in 16 seasons (Latrell Sprewell, 1997) and was a significant rotation member on the franchise's first championship in 40 years.
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9) Trading for Jimmy Butler III (February 2025)
After winning 12 of 15 games to open the 2024-25 NBA season and then losing 12 of 15, the Warriors needed a roster upgrade. They spent January straddling the mediocrity line (.500) when second-year general manager Mike Dunleavy went shopping.
After Kevin Durant , toiling in Phoenix, expressed no interest in rejoining Golden State, Dunleavy turned to a former teammate: Butler, a veteran forward who had become a malcontent in Miami .
The cost of obtaining Butler was Andrew Wiggins , Kyle Anderson and a top-10-protected first round pick in the 2025 draft. Also departing in what was a four-team trade were Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III .
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Butler made an immediate impact, joining with Stephen Curry to lead the Warriors to 23-8 record over the final 31 games, second only to eventual champion Oklahoma City in the West.
The hope is that Butler, rehabbing a surgically repaired torn right ACL, can return by midseason .
8) Trading for Andrew Wiggins (February 2020)
KD left after three seasons. Klay Thompson was rehabbing after ACL surgery. Curry sustained a broken hand in Week 1. The 2019-20 season was a disaster before November.
Durant did the Warriors enough of a favor for them to bring in DeAngelo Russell, a defective guard who was allergic to defense. He was, however, a talented scorer. That was enough of a lure for then-GM Bob Myers to engineer a trade that became thievery.
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The Warriors obtained Wiggins along with a 2021 first-round pick (used to select Jonathan Kuminga ) and second-round pick later moved, with Russell, Jacob Evens III and Omari Spellman going to the Minnesota Timberwolves .
Wiggins came to Golden State and soon shed the label of being an underachiever. He was a solid two-way wing who in 2022 made his first All-Star team. Moreover, he was the star member of Curry's cast as the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals.
7) Trading for Andre Iguodala (July 2013)
After four consecutive losing seasons, Golden State reached the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2007. The No. 6-seed Warriors upset Iguodala and the third-seed Denver Nuggets in the first round and put a scare into eventual champion San Antonio in the conference semifinals.
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Iguodala was impressed enough to become a free agent bound to leave the Nuggets, who responded with a sign-and-trade deal that gave him a future by the Bay. Myers oversaw a deal that acquired Iguodala for Andris Biedrins , Richard Jefferson , Brandon Rush and four future draft picks.
This was a huge win for two reasons. One, the Warriors obtained an athletic wing who was a stellar defender and possessed leadership qualities. Two, the move signaled that Golden State's status within the league had risen enough to become a destination.
Iguodala was a four-time champion whose jersey now hangs in the rafters at Chase Center.
6) Trading for Andrew Bogut (March 2012)
The Warriors quickly realized they needed to improve their defense even if it meant sacrificing some offense. Lacob and Riley decided at the trade deadline to break up their dynamic but small backcourt featuring Monta Ellis and Curry.
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Golden State considered moving Curry – true story – but ended up trading Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks for Bogut, a 7-foot center who was a terrific defender and passer but struggled with injuries.
For the first time since they were coached by Al Attles, the Warriors had a defensive presence. Bogut missed the rest of the season but played 67 games in 2013-14 and again in 2014-15. He was the anchor of a defense that was an unappreciated aspect of the 2015 championship.
Lacob one week after the trade was showered with boos at Oracle Arena for trading a fan favorite for a man in street clothes. Three years later, those boos were replaced by a championship parade. He got the last laugh.
