Ranking the Warriors’ top center trade options ahead of the 2026 deadline

The The Golden State Warriors are expected to pull off a blockbuster trade, with Jonathan Cummings as the main piece heading out of the bay. Kuminga has long written about his time with the Warriors, and says he’s been healthy in recent weeks.

The most common trade scenario for the Warriors is to acquire a shooting guard in exchange for Cummings, as well as a few other deals. To that end, Michael Porter Jr. and Trey Murphy were standouts as potential trade targets for the Dubs, with the former heavily linked to a move to the Bay, especially as of late.

However, the The Warriors have a longstanding need at centerand ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel suggested they could instead flip Cummings to address that need of theirs. One would think such a maneuver would cost the Dubs fewer assets, which is more in line with the way they do business.

If the Warriors end up taking the center route on the trade market, they have plenty of options to choose from. Now, it all depends on which center they want to get; they could get a high-flying lob-blocking threat to add a different kind of center to the roster, or they could double up on a floor-spacing center that could work within the Dubs’ offense.

With that said, here are the best options for the Warriors to trade a center before the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

Domantas Sabonis seems to be very approachable on the trade market, and the Sacramento Kings are seemingly making their star big man available. The Toronto Raptors, in particular, have emerged as Sabonis’ top suitor, and to be fair, that seems like a very good landing spot for him, as Toronto has the defensive weapons to cover any deficiencies it has on that end of the floor.

As for the Warriors, Sabonis would give them a legitimate glass cleaner, and he would thrive as a playmaking center for the Warriors’ offense. He’s one of the league’s best handoff orchestrators, with the Kings thriving in the past under his offensive leadership, and he could do the same for the Dubs.

Alas, Sabonis from set to make $45.4 million and $48.6 million over the next two seasons. It’s a big commitment for the Dubs. This would also force them to fill their depth just to try to pay match. He’s nothing short of a dream target for the Dubs, though it makes sense at least from a basketball perspective.

At this moment, Idea by Daniel Gafford is much more attractive than the real Daniel Gafford. Gafford’s injury woes have made him a shell of his former self, and he’s struggling to make much of an impact even with the injury woes ravaging the Dallas Mavericks frontcourt.

However, it’s easy to see a path for Gafford to be more productive moving forward. In the past, he has thrived in a Mavs offense led by Luka Doncic as a top lob threat, and he is mobile enough to defend the pick-and-roll and be an intimidating presence blocking shots at the basket.

With the Warriors, Gafford would feast as a designated man at the dunk spot — think Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston or JaVale McGee in past iterations of the Dubs — on Green’s 4-on-3 off-screen-and-rolls with Stephen Curry. With Trace Jackson-Davis out, Gafford easily becomes the best shot blocker on the Warriors’ roster, giving them a different dimension than the more earth-bound Quinten Post and Al Horford.

Gafford wouldn’t cost too much on the trade market either; they could even get it without giving up Kuminga. However, Gafford is a risky play due to his substandard production this season.

Myles Turner is a proven starting center option in the association, and he’s not shy about letting it go from beyond the arc. He would be a great fit in the Warriors starting lineup as someone who could do similar things for them as Horford. Of course, Turner is 10 years younger than Horford, which makes him much more viable for the playoffs.

The contract commitment is steep, as is Turner according to the contract until the 2028-29 campaign. But he doesn’t make too much per year anyway, and his prowess as a three-point rim protector makes him an attractive player for any winning team, including the Warriors.

But do the Warriors need another center who isn’t a dominant rebounder and interior presence? Turner’s foot speed is also down, especially on the defensive end. While he’s a better option at center than Post and Horford, it might not make much sense for the Milwaukee Bucks center to be the main return they get for Cummings.

Moreover, the The Bucks may be hesitant to give up Turner anyway considering they prioritized him this past offseason and waived and stretched Damian Lillard just to create the cap space needed to sign him.

This would involve the Warriors making a trade with the Nets, but without acquiring Porter. It seems to be in vain, as Porter’s scoring ways seem to be exactly what Golden State needs to try and fuel their push for a real playoff spot.

however, Claxton has revived his value this season in Brooklyn, where head coach Jordi Fernandez got the best out of the 26-year-old big man. He’s no longer the shot blocker he used to be, perhaps due to some injury-induced decline in athleticism, but he’s expanded his game significantly, especially on the offensive end, so he’s now more than just a lob threat.

Clacton has improved his passing significantly. He’s averaging a career-best 4.1 assists per game, and his improved feel for the game makes him a much more dangerous weapon under Steve Kerr.

Cummings’ contract fits Claxton almost perfectly, and the Warriors wouldn’t have to give up as much assets for Porter as they would for the Nets’ starting center.

In terms of practicality, this is the center of commerce makes the most sense for the Warriors. But they can also dream big if they take the central route.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been adamant they won’t let go of their core trio of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac despite enduring a rough start to the 2025-26 campaign. And the front office’s faith in that core appears to be paying off, as the Clippers continue to move up the Western standings, now sitting just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot.

This should take it effectively Zubac off the trade marketand Warriors are better off directing their resources to other trade objectives. But Zubac would be so good for this Warriors team that he deserves the top spot on this list.

Zubac gives the Warriors a legitimate inside scoring threat and a glass cleaner who is automatically close to the hoop. But perhaps most importantly, he is under contract for a a total of approx $39 million over the next two seasons, making him one of the highest paid in the association.

He would require the Warriors to change their style of play a bit, and Kerr might be hesitant to do that. But the Dubs have been so reliant on perimeter shooting that someone who draws the attention of the defense like Zubac in the paint would open up so many cleaner looks for them from beyond the arc.