Is Zach Lowe speculating or is Zach Lowe working?
In a column late Monday filled with discussions of big deals, Lowe wrote at some length about a deal the Warriors might want to make with the Nets: Patrick McCaw for Joe Harris.
McCaw, a 6’7” small forward whose potential has dimmed a bit this season, for Harris, a 6’6” shooting guard having a career year. McCaw is 22; Harris 26.
Here’s what Lowe wrote...
Could they coax Brooklyn into a Patrick McCaw-Joe Harris swap? Both teams would probably demand a second-round pick as sweetener, leading to a stalemate. Harris is better now, but McCaw is four years younger. The deal would add about $200,000 to Golden State’s salary bill -- plus tax -- and believe it or not, the owners actually care.
Harris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer; McCaw will be restricted. McCaw has been so uneven, the monster offer sheet Golden State feared may not be coming. The Warriors could just keep him.
None of Golden State’s other expendable minimum guys have any value.”
Hmmm. Kind of specific. Sort of like when Adrian Wojnarowski seemingly speculated last June 19 that maybe the Nets could get D’Angelo Russell if they were willing to take on Timofey Mozgov in a salary dump. A little more than 24 hours later, the Nets and Lakers had a deal. Woj wasn’t speculating. As it turned out, Woj was working. Could that be the case again?
McCaw has been the victim of the sophomore slump ... and a surplus of talent on the NBA’s best team. Or as Golden State of Mind stated in December, this has been ... “Patrick McCaw’s disappointing sophomore season.”
“McCaw is still very young, but he’s simply too invisible on the court this season. What will his future with the Warriors bring?” GSM’s Hugh Kitano wrote.
After playing well as Kevin Durant’s back-up last season, even getting solid minutes in the NBA Finals, the second pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has dropped in the Warriors rotation.
He’s only averaging 3.8 points per game and his 3-point shooting percentage has dropped to below 25 percent after hitting a promising 33 percent as a rookie. He seems to have lost confidence. The Nets know how to deal with that!
Harris would be smart addition for the Warriors, with his deep shooting prowess and can-do spirit. Lowe is probably right. The Nets would want a second thrown in the deal.
Beyond Harris, Lowe also opined on what Sean Marks would do if a team asked about Spencer Dinwiddie. “If someone offers a first-rounder for him, they will think hard. The bet here is he stays put,” Lowe wrote.
Stay tuned.