Joe Lacob discusses possibility of Warriors making a significant trade this summer: 'It's a balance'

The Golden State Warriors have had an offseason of change. Longtime guard Klay Thompson is now with the Dallas Mavericks, breaking up the Warriors’ dynasty core. However, the Dubs aren’t going to go down easily.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob joined the Audacy Sports Podcast “The TK Show” to discuss Thompson’s departure, Steph Curry’s future, and if a big move could be coming in Golden State.

“Look, we have a full roster right now. I think we’re at 14 players,” Lacob said. “So anything we do now has got to be pretty much through trade, and are there trades that are being discussed all the time? Absolutely. We could make a significant trade, for sure, but we might not.”

While teams can add players via the draft and free agency rather easily, it’s not as simple to find a trade partner.

“Trades is kind of the hardest way to go because there are 29 other teams all trying to do the same thing. They’re all trying to get better, and everyone wants to win a trade,” Lacob continued. “I know in business you hear the term ‘win-win.’ It’s good to make win-win moves in life, in business, trades, business transactions. But you can’t make someone do that.

“It’s one of these things where you have to find the right partner at the right time and you have to sort of agree that this is going to work for both parties.”

The Warriors primarily built their dynasty through the draft and free agency. But that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been trying to wheel and deal.

“I’ve found over our 14 years we have not been particularly adept at making trades. We haven’t done a lot because they’re hard to do,” Lacob explained. “We’re always trying. We’re always going to try to make our team better.”

Lacob said that the Warriors were looking at a few different things ahead of this year’s trade deadline but nothing came to fruition. There is still time this offseason for them to negotiate, though.

“We’ve been looking at things since the draft and free agency here at various trades and, frankly, that isn’t something that ends tomorrow or anytime in the next few weeks. Something like that for any one player could go on to the trade deadline. That’s why it’s called the trade deadline,” he said. “So I think there are other names out there that are significant players that if they want to play for the Warriors and we felt we had the right package and we convince the other team and the player they’re conceivable to do. We’re going to keep trying.”

The Warriors owner then explained the difficulty of giving up draft picks in today’s NBA. While it may be worth doing in the right transaction, it’s taking a risk.

“I think all teams have to be careful with doing that because with the new CBA and the way things are, it’s pretty scary to go naked on not having [picks]. There are some teams in this league that don’t have any picks for the rest of the decade, essentially, under their own control,” he said. “I’m not saying that’s something you can’t do or shouldn’t do ever, but you better be right if you do it because if something happens, you may think it’s really great right now but if somebody gets injured or suddenly you’re out of it, you could be in a pretty bad way.”

There have been rumors swirling around the Warriors and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. A trade may be in the works, but it’s a fine line any time a team makes a trade.

“It’s a balance. I think we have to balance,” Lacob said. “We would do it. We would send all kinds of picks in a particular trade or players if we felt we were getting back something that was really great and that made sense; got someone that was the right age and the right cultural fit and also fit within the construct of the team. It’s possible.”

Of course, even if Lacob and the Warriors want to make a deal, it takes two to tango.

“You have to have two parties that are reasonably willing to do deals together that make sense for both sides in order for things to happen,” he said. “It doesn’t automatically happen. It doesn’t work that way. You have to have a willing party on the other end for any kind of a trade discussion. That’s why they’re so hard to do.”