Hypothetical trades can be a lot of fun to imagine, and media and fans alike participate in the speculation. But when it comes down to the actual reality of trading players away, it is obviously not so simple.
"It is so easy to trade people 50 times on paper," Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob said on the latest episode of the Dubs Talk podcast.
Lacob said this in response to the numerous hypothetical high-profile Warriors trades concocted including Andrew Wiggins as the major salary piece being sent away.
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It goes without saying that if the Warriors were to actually make a trade for another NBA star, then Wiggins will almost assuredly have to be on the other end of the trade package, since he is a young, productive wing and his salary would help facilitate the deal.
Yet despite the countless trade speculation, Lacob still feels very strongly that Wiggins can be a piece of the Warriors' future.
"Andrew had a really good year for us last year. He is super happy here, the coaching staff loves him, the players love him. He was great. We traded for him for a reason, he's here, we love what he's about. I understand why people throw his name into things, he's the new guy and he wasn't part of the championship core. But that doesn't mean he can't be part of the future," Lacob said.
As you might expect, the reality of the situation is that plans can change, and Lacob always wants to make it clear to the parties involved in rumors that all possibilities are on the table.
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"Look, we are always honest with guys too. I have talked to Andrew's agent many, many times over the last year, and he will call and say 'hey, you know I'm hearing this' and I'm always [to Andrew] like 'look, you should feel very comfortable here, you are very well-liked. Am I going to tell you that you will never get traded at any point? No, I would never tell anybody that," Lacob explained.
"We tell everyone that," he continued. "We never want to lie to someone. Now that doesn't mean that is what they want to hear, but we don't want to lie to a player or agent because that looks bad if something does happen, even if it is a remote chance."
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But when all is said and done, while the Warriors could very well part with Wiggins in a deal, they also feel very comfortable keeping him around.
"So yeah, Andrew's great. We are very happy with everything. I feel bad that he gets thrown into the rumor mill but at the end of the day, we have talked about it. He knows, he's been through it before in Minnesota, it is the nature of the beast," Lacob said.