NBA 2018-19 Trade Review: Golden State Warriors - A quiet trade deadline

The Golden State Warriors are the defending NBA Champions and currently sit top of the Western Conference standings. With five All-Stars in their starting line-up, they're unsurprisingly one of the top contenders to win the NBA title again this year.

The biggest move fans were waiting to see was regarding Anthony Davis: the Lakers were the frontrunners to sign him but certainly not the only ones hoping to secure the 25-year-old's signature.

All the trade rumours and speculation was put to an end when the trade deadline had elapsed last week, with 14 of the league's 20 deals happening on the final day. On that note, here we take a look at how the Warriors fared during this year's trade window:

#1 Warriors' inactivity

The Warriors top the standings as we're now in the All-Star break, but failed to complete any notable deals

The Golden State Warriors have some of the finest players on their roster; Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins and a bench crew of Shaun Livingston, Alfonzo McKinnie, Andre Iguodala, and Kevon Looney.

This close-knit unit makes them one of the league's best teams, but they don't have the strongest bench. They haven't made a mid-season trade for a long time - five consecutive years - and history has repeated itself on this occasion too.

Although they don't need to immediately sign any new players as things are going fairly well for the Warriors. Recently, they won eleven straight games and were firing on all cylinders atop their Conference's standings.

DeMarcus Cousins' return has also helped them, as his presence adds an additional scoring and playmaking option from one of the league's best big men.

The Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated:

"We’re very comfortable with the guys in our locker room on our roster, we still have our 15th roster spot. So we can still add somebody, but I didn’t expect to trade anybody."

#2 Players they couldn't sign

Davis - who made clear his desire to leave the Pelicans - was surprisingly linked

Marcin Gortat was interested in signing with Warriors this time, but that deal fell through as the team didn't make a move for the experienced Polish center.

According to Yahoo sources, the reasoning behind their reluctance was because they "plan to wait until the dust settles, to get a clearer picture of what is available on the market."

Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez was also linked with the Dubs, eager to sign an understudy behind Cousins, but the deal was also put to rest.

Just like a number of teams across the league, Anthony Davis was on the Warriors radar, albeit unrealistically. They were unable to deliver a strong offer to the New Orleans Pelicans and according to ESPN's Zach Lowe, that was the main reason why they couldn't convince them to make a trade:

"They aren't trading Curry or Durant for him; Durant is a free agent anyway. Draymond Green probably isn't enticing enough as a centrepiece considering what little else the Warriors have in draft picks and young players. Klay Thompson is a free agent too, and it seems unlikely he would agree to a sign-and-trade sending him to New Orleans."

#3 Players they should have signed

Nick Young featured last year and despite a short stint with the Denver Nuggets, is currently without a team

With an open roster spot currently, there were a few options they could've signed to strengthen their bench as they aim to retain the Championship once again this season.

Nick Young was one of those players who would have provided an instant impact - having helped them reach the 2018 NBA Finals and winning his first Championship as a result.

Many thought the Warriors would fill the open spot with a veteran player, as Corey Brewer also appeared like a solid option for them to pursue. During his short stint with the Thunder, he averaged 10.1 points per game and played over 25 minutes per game, proving his worth.

It appears like an uphill battle for them to overcome as next season approaches, because their two stars - Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson - are both free agents this summer. Many rumours suggest Durant will join the New York Knicks in the coming offseason.