The Warriors have shocked everyone with their hot start to the season. With twelve wins in sixteen games, they currently sit on top of the Western Conference standings. However, their momentum could take a massive jolt now that De’Anthony Melton has been ruled out because of a season-ending ACL surgery. Sure enough, the Warriors could benefit from a new player joining the squad. But although there is a $95 million star available, financial constraints might not allow Mike Dunleavy Jr. to pursue him.

Yes, the Brooklyn Nets have reportedly been willing to make a trade for Cam Johnson ever since they traded away Mikal Bridges to the Knicks. They are going all in on the rebuild. The Warriors even had reported interest in Cam during the offseason, but the trade never happened as they were busy adding other pieces. However, the opportunity has presented itself once again with Melton’s injury.

Unfortunately, Dunleavy might not be able to act on it because the Warriors are hard capped at the first apron and are only $500K under that threshold, limiting their options. Yes, they can still create cap space by making a trade and giving away multiple assets.

However, it will take dealing away De’Anthony Melton and multiple “salary fillers” to acquire Cam Johnson, which will likely result in the team falling under the 14-player minimum roster.

NBA reporter Brett Siegel confirms that GSW does not view any of their players as “salary fillers” because all of them have been very crucial to the team’s success so far. That’s because Steve Kerr has been frequently using a twelve-man rotation this season, which has given them more depth and turned every player into a key contributor. It will be difficult to trade any of them to make room for Cam’s nearly $95 M contract.

How can Cam Johnson boost the Warriors’ title aspirations?

Although the chances of acquiring Cam seem bleak because of financial constraints; if the Warriors are somehow able to pull it off, it could really boost their chances of winning a title. Well, he has truly upped his game this season and is averaging a career-high 19.1 points. Moreover, he is shooting over 90% from the charity stripe, which are solid numbers for a big man.

Steve Kerr’s rotations could really use his ability as a three-and-D player, especially because Brandin Podziemski’s efficiency from deep range has dropped significantly to 18.5%! And with De’Anthony Melton sidelined, they need more elite shooters on the team.

More importantly, Cam Johnson’s addition also gives the Golden State Warriors more size, which they seem to be lacking this season, as they do not have an All-Star caliber big. However, the trade seems quite unlikely in the current scenario, because, like in the recent past (eg. the Markkanen pursuit), the Bay Area side has been unwilling to tear up their team just for the sake of a quick championship.