The Golden State Warriors are on the precipice of achieving something only a few teams in NBA history have accomplished: building a dynasty. The Boston Celtics of the ‘70s, Los Angeles Lakers of the ‘80s, and the Chicago Bulls of the ‘90s all have something in common. Their dynasty teams featured talent that had never been seen before in that era.

This decade’s Warriors have followed that blueprint in the detail. They drafted arguably the best shooting tandem in hoops history (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) and somehow found a Swiss knife of a forward in the second round of the 2012 Draft (Draymond Green).

The trio, with the help of several serviceable veterans and the guidance of head coach Steve Kerr, turned Golden State from a perennial cellar-dweller to a regular customer in the NBA Finals.

Warriors GM Bob Myers, still not content with the makeup of his team, further ruined the balance of power when he added once-in-a-generation talent Kevin Durant in the fall of 2016. From that point, the Warriors have been virtually unstoppable. They captured their second title in emphatic fashion, dropping just one game in 17 postseason games. This season, with all the big movements in both conferences, the Warriors are still standing tall atop the pecking order of contenders.

Fed up with the Warriors' dominance? Then have a dose of the Athletic's Tim Kawakami and his eye-popping claim that the Warriors are already plotting a potential blockbuster acquisition three years from now.

The Unibrow of Bay Area

According to Kawakami, the Warriors front office is already setting their sight on New Orleans Pelicans’ All-Star Anthony Davis. The former No.1 pick and perennial MVP contender is just playing in the second year of a five-year, $145MM deal extension he signed in 2015, yet he’s already drawing interest from multiple teams.

While the Boston Celtics are trying to get the NBA’s most unique talent on the trading front, Kawakami said the Warriors will patiently wait until Davis becomes a free agent (2020 the earliest). Although acquiring Davis would require some moving parts and perhaps sacrifices (pay-cuts, parting ways with one of the Hamptons Five), the scribe really believes that scenario is possible down the road.

Reaction: Way too early. Yes, Davis to Warriors could really happen, but the Pelicans still have two full seasons after this to convince their franchise player that he belongs to the Bayou for the rest of his career. Of course, New Orleans needs to start climbing in the standings now. DeMarcus Cousins is a free agent after this season and only winning will convince last year’s blockbuster acquisition to stay with the Pels for at least 3 to 4 years.

Make no mistake, the Warriors are always looking for ways to extend their dynasty. Their GM thinks five, six moves ahead of his rivals. Still, Kawakami is half-right, half-wrong in this one. The Warriors are threats for Davis, but anything can happen within that two-year time frame.

Sorry for popping bubbles Dubs nation. However, this is pure speculation with some credibility of course. Very much Clairvoyant Bill.

Another scorer North of the Border

The guys in Toronto are an interesting bunch. DeMar DeRozan is morphing into an efficient beast by expanding his range beyond the three-point line. His steady rise to superstardom is offsetting the regressing play of Kyle Lowry, who signed a three-year, $100 million deal last summer. However, this won’t change the fact that the Raptors need another game-changer. Will Masai Ujiri flip some of his assets for what could be the missing piece in their championship puzzle?

Fortunately for the Raptors, the trade market is already overflowing with talented scorers. Tyreke Evans, Lou Williams, and Nikola Mirotic are all intriguing trade targets that can raise the Raps’ play to higher levels. Evans, who has added an efficient three-point game this season, might be the most attractive of the three because of his cap-friendly expiring deal ($3.2 bi-annual exception).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski thinks Evans is worth for at least a first-round pick, which is something Ujiri could throw in for a shot at title contention. Then, there’s the 33-year-old Marc Gasol, a proven playoff performer who can still put up double-doubles on any given night.

The Spaniard has been linked to the Raptors the past two seasons, and things could be heading that way if Ujiri looks to beef up his frontline for the postseason grind.

Reactions: This is flirting around Woj Bomb category. The fact that so many insiders are reporting some activities in the Raptors front-office only means the team really has the intentions to upgrade their roster at the deadline. In the end, the realization of a trade will hinge on Ujiri’s evaluation of his team at halfway point of the season. If he feels Toronto can dethrone the Cavaliers as the Kings of the East this year, watch out for them swinging for Evans or perhaps Gasol.

And as of now, the Raptors look like a legit contender.
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