NBA trade rumors: Warriors are actively shopping Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Warriors are reportedly shopping Kelly Oubre Jr. ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

The Golden State Warriors are currently sitting with a record of 22-21 as they continue to fight near the bottom of the Western Conference playoff standings.

The NBA trade deadline is approaching and as it turns out, the Warriors could be sellers. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor recently wrote an article with the latest NBA trade rumors. He included a quick note explaining that the Warriors are actively exploring trades for Oubre, who will be an unrestricted free agent following the season.

Will Golden State trade Kelly Oubre Jr.?

Oubre is an interesting player for this Golden State team. He has started in 41 games this season and averages over 30 minutes per game. The former first-round pick is also the third-leading scorer for Golden State so far this season.

The main reason Oubre would be traded is because he is on an expiring contract. The Warriors are already spending a fortune on Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green over the next several years. If there is no intention of keeping Oubre as part of that core, a trade makes sense, even if the team is focused on making the playoffs this season.

Oubre had a very slow start to the season and continues to be spotty. He dropped 40 points back on Feb. 4, but could also end up with only 4 points like he did Friday. That doesn’t bode well for his chances of sticking with this Warriors core.

The Dubs are a totally different team with both Curry and Thompson on the floor. Oubre joined Golden State to make up for the latter’s absence this season. But if Thompson remains on track for a return next season, the front office may go back on any commitment to pay Oubre solid money over any long-term period of time.