Warriors breakthrough makes Nikola Vucevic trade rumors feel like a distant memory

The Golden State Warriors are 5-1 since Jimmy Butler arrived at the trade deadline. It has been all kittens and rainbows for the new-look Dubs, who seem to have a newfound confidence with Butler in the lineup.

We cannot overstate Butler's impact so far. He's putting up numbers, sure, but it goes beyond simple points or assists. Butler's presence frees up Stephen Curry to do more of the off-ball stuff that defined his prime years in Golden State. It's hard enough for a defense to guard Steph straight up; when he's flying around a million screens while Butler collapses the defense — man, good luck.

It's probably too early to give definitive takes on the Warriors' championship odds post-Butler. The West is stacked. Golden State is still in ninth place, 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Clippers. It's difficult to pronounce the Dubs a title threat when a fluky Play-In performance could keep them out of the first round entirely. We need a larger sample size.

That said, we know how good Steph, Butler, and Draymond Green still are. This Warriors team has solid depth and a battle-tested head coach. There's a reason their dynasty has survived for so long, over so many iterations: When Curry has a legitimate co-star and a workable supporting cast, the Dubs can really go.

A lot of pre-deadline chatter, however, centered on Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic as a potential target. It's safe to say the Warriors are fine without him, though, in no small part due to the ongoing breakout of rookie 7-footer Quinten Post.

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Quinten Post breakout has Warriors feeling good about Nikola Vucevic whiff

Golden State selected Boston College's Quinten Post with the No. 52 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Warriors' track record of unearthing second-round gems is strong. One only has to think back to 2023, when Trayce Jackson-Davis arrived in San Francisco as the 57th pick and became an immediate rotation cog.

Now it's Post working his way up the Warriors' depth chart in short order. He still has not fully broken into a regular role, but it's only a matter of time. He's averaging 7.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on .473/.417/1.000 splits in 14.2 minutes across 18 appearances. Post is also doing stuff like this.

Post is not a defensive anchor in the traditional sense (0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per 36 minutes), but the offensive impact is significant. He's getting up 12.9 attempts per 36 minutes from deep. That sort of 3-point volume from a true 7-footer is difficult to come by, especially when the success rate is so high.

The NBA loves a stretch five, but Post is quickly ascending the ranks of the very best big-man shooters in the league. It's perfect for this new-look Golden State offense: With Steph wreaking havoc off-ball and Butler spending so much time in the teeth of the defense, Golden State lining multiple volume shooters along the perimeter is a cheat code. Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, all these dudes can shoot. Post is the five man, though, and he forces the opposing center to venture outside the paint, which opens up driving lanes for Butler and gives Golden State an immediate advantage.

Post tallied 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists in just 18 minutes against Dallas on Sunday. He made two of six 3-point attempts in that span. Sooner than later, the 24-year-old will be a rotation staple for Steve Kerr. It's fair to wonder how Post might hold up defensively in a postseason setting, but the Warriors aren't getting much of anything offensively from the likes of Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney. Post changes the geometry of the court in impactful ways.

With their rookie center on the ascent, the Warriors are probably glad not to have a more expensive, aging vet like Vucevic eating 30-plus minutes per game at the five spot. Post is not on Vooch's level, to be clear, but he's a floor-spacing five with an obvious overlap in strengths and weaknesses. If Post can provide a fraction of Vucevic's value at an even smaller fraction of the price, that's a huge win.