Rumors of the Pelicans and Warriors entertaining the idea of a Kelly Oubre–Lonzo Ball swap circulated for some time leading up to the trade deadline. While no trade materialized, we now have some additional details on the negotiations.
According to former Warriors center Andrew Bogut (on the latest episode of Rogue Bogues), the Pelicans were offering Ball along with a first-rounder to Golden State in exchange for Oubre and the Warriors declined the offer.
Oubre is in the final year of his contract and if he returns to Golden State next season, he’d likely be relegated to a role of the bench with the return of Klay Thompson. The small forward recently expressed a reluctance to come off the bench and all the buzz made it quite surprising that the front office didn’t move him at the deadline, considering the strength of the offer.
The Warriors were just one of the teams linked to Ball before the Pelicans ultimately held onto him. New Orleans, like rival teams around the league, are worried about the type of contract that the former No. 2 overall pick could earn in restricted free agency.
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