Golden State Warriors: Frank Ntilikina should be a trade target

The Golden State Warriors are one season away from entering what appears to be a difficult negotiation with Draymond Green. Therefore they should target Frank Ntilikina as a insurance for a potential breakup

There is an old idiom which states that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. A prime example of this is second-year guard Frank Ntilikina who has fallen out of favor with New York Knicks brass because of his shooting woes.

In fact, head coach David Fizdale alluded to his shooting woes becoming an issue during a post-game press conference back on November 11th:

"“We were just getting our butt kicked and I wanted to look at something different,” Fizdale said. “Frank was struggling shooting the ball in that first half. The spread was pretty good by then. I figured, ‘Let’s get some scoring going and I feel Trey’s role with us helps us, where he has that ability to make plays and get buckets. So I just wanted to try something different.”"

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Unfortunately, Frank hasn’t been able to improve his shooting numbers significantly in the two months since that press conference. Ntilikina has shot 31.4 percent from behind the arc in 23 appearances for the club which is only an improvement of 1.4 percent.

Frank’s inability to shoot has cost him some minutes as he is playing 9.2 fewer minutes per game. Over the first 13 games, he was playing 27.5 minutes per game. However, since the post-game press conference on November 11th, he is averaging 18.3 minutes per game in 23 appearances.

The reduction in playing time has led some organizations to inquire about the availability of Frank Ntilikina via trade. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News stated that the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic have expressed interest in his services.

Although Phoenix and Orlando have been the only two teams to ask about Ntilikina reportedly, one can argue that the Golden State Warriors should join the group. The Warriors are one season away from entering what appears to be a difficult negotiation with Draymond Green.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the team is willing to offer maximum money for 3 or 4 years, not the full 5 that Green might be seeking (per ESPN).

"With two years and $36 million remaining on his deal, Green is eligible for a three-year, $72 million extension, which would start in 2020-21.According to league sources, Green will turn the extension down when it’s offered. That’s because if he earns MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or All-NBA Team honors next season, he will be eligible for a super-max contract of five years, $226 million."

The difference in years may force Golden State and Green to end their partnership after next season. Therefore, the potential acquisition of Frank Ntilikina would give the team a player who has all the tools to fulfill the role of Draymond Green in case he and the team part ways.

Frank Ntilikina was known as a player with superb court vision during his professional career in France. Jonathan Givony formerly of Draft Express alluded to this during his evaluation of the 2016 basketball without borders camp:

"Frank is a ” terrific passer with exquisite court vision. Distributes in many different ways. Constantly looking to find open man”."

Consequently, his court vision would make it easier for him to transition into Draymond’s role of playmaker for the team. One example of Draymond’s playmaking is when he dribbles the ball to the 3-point line and waits to see if a teammate cuts to the basket.

If the teammate cuts, he will do a bounce pass which allows them to get the ball near the basket. If they do not, he will pass the ball to the closest teammate.

Fortunately, Frank has already showed he can execute a bounce pass in a game against Boston last season. He called Kyle O’Quinn to set a screen which would ideally allow him to get separation from Marcus Smart.

Unfortunately his plan did not work as Smart followed him over the screen essentially forcing him to throw a bounce pass to Kyle as he was rolling to the basket.

Not only could Frank fill Draymond’s offensive role but he could also fill his defensive role as he can guard multiple positions like Green.

According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, David Fizdale raved about his ability to guard various positions before the preseason finale against Brooklyn:

"“The fours that play in our league now … how teams are playing, they’re playing perimeter guys at that spot. Frank, that’s why I said he gives me so many options for having a ball-handler that can do multiple things and guard multiple people. So that’s where I think the flexibility comes in.”"

Furthermore, the lack of playing time for Ntilikina means that the cost of acquisition won’t be high. For example, they could trade the contracts of Jacob Evans, Damian Jones, and Alfonzo McKinnie plus a first-round pick for him.

If the Warriors acquire him, they have the option to retain his services until the 2020-21 season for about a total of $16.4 million. This is $2.1 million less than Draymond’s salary for next season and $47.3 million {(18.5 +45.2=63.7) -16.4} less over the next 2 season if Green gets the super max.

The hypothetical presence of Frank gives the team an opportunity to cut back on their luxury tax bill by letting Green walk in free agency; or they can make him available for trade to see if another team is willing to give some type of asset in return.

Although Frank Ntilikina is considered to be the New York Knicks trash, he could end up becoming a treasure for the Golden State Warriors.