Charles Barkley believes this trade would help Warriors return to prominence

The Golden State Warriors’ woes continued Monday as the Steve Kerr-led team lost to a Memphis Grizzlies squad fielding a bunch of G-Leaguers in the wake of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane’s injuries. Yet, as hapless as the 18-22 Warriors appear right now, reinforcements could be on their way imminently as GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. gets busy ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

One of the names doing the rounds as a potential Warriors target is Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, who reportedly remains on the trading block. On Monday’s edition of “Inside the NBA” on TNT, the legendary Charles Barkley explained why acquiring Siakam could be a game-changer for Golden State.

"Siakam is the big prize... I see the Warriors are trying to get Siakam," Barkley said. "That would change the whole dynamic of that Warriors team. He's an all-star-type player, and if he don’t have to be your best player, and if he can be like going back when they won a championship with Kawhi [Leonard]… if he’d be your second-best player, a team gonna be like, 'Oh we're good.'"

Barkley – a renowned Warriors detractor who doubted the Bay Area squad even during their glory days – acknowledged that Stephen Curry & Co. were feeling the aftereffects of making six trips to the NBA finals within eight years, between 2015 and 2022.

"They're trying everything trade-wise, because the team just got old," Barkley stressed. "And the young guys going back to [James] Wiseman didn't pan out. The jury is still out on [Jonathan] Kuminga. But they got old. One thing about success -- it takes a toll on you, especially when you're in the finals every year.”

Siakam, a two-time All-Star, is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in his eighth season with the Raptors. Interestingly, his numbers are down across the board from last season, in large part due to third-year forward Scottie Barnes becoming the go-to option for coach Darko Rajaković.