The Warriors made a couple of small moves at the trade deadline Thursday, but they didn’t pull off the bigger deal some had anticipated.
Golden State traded guard Brad Wanamaker to the Hornets for cash considerations, and center Marquese Chriss and cash to the Spurs for the rights to center Cady Lalanne, according to league sources. Those moves were made to clear two roster spots in case the Warriors acquire anyone on the upcoming buyout market. Golden State could also move two-way-contract players Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nico Mannion into the 15-man roster spots that Wanamaker and Chriss vacated.
The No. 55 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Massachusetts, Lalanne, 28, has yet to play an NBA game. He is currently on the Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League and is not expected to join Golden State.
Wanamaker, 31, signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Warriors in free agency to be Stephen Curry’s primary backup at point guard. But in 39 games, he averaged just 4.7 points on 35.3% shooting (21.3% from 3-point range), 2.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds. Several weeks ago, Wanamaker was removed from the Warriors’ regular rotation so that Mannion and Jordan Poole could get more minutes.
Chriss suffered a high right ankle sprain with a fractured right fibula in late December, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play again this season. Head coach Steve Kerr said recently that Chriss — who becomes a free agent this summer — has started doing some on-court work, but he is “not close to playing in a game.”
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Even if Chriss returned this season, he would’ve had a hard time cracking the Warriors’ frontcourt rotation. James Wiseman, Golden State’s franchise-center-in-waiting, commands significant playing time. The Warriors also want to get Kevon Looney minutes and play Eric Paschall as a small-ball center.
After months of speculation that Golden State could move guard Kelly Oubre Jr. at the deadline, it decided to hold onto him. According to a league source, the Warriors turned down multiple “compelling” offers for Oubre.
It’s a gamble, given that Golden State now risks losing Oubre in free agency and getting nothing in return for him. After a slow start this season, Oubre, 25, has emerged as a reliable two-way wing. In 42 games, he is averaging 15.1 points on 43.8% shooting (30.6% shooting from 3-point range), 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 steal.
According to a league source, Oubre could warrant a contract in free agency worth north of $20 million annually — quite a steep number for a Warriors team that already has nearly $140 million committed next season to Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. But if Oubre is willing to re-sign with Golden State for what figures to be a sixth-man role after Thompson return from an Achilles injury, the Warriors could be fine paying him his market value.
In the shorter-term, Oubre should help Golden State compete for a playoff berth this season. The Warriors enter Thursday night’s game at Sacramento 10th in the Western Conference standings at 22-22. The teams with the seventh-through10th-best records in each conference will participate in a play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in the playoffs.
Connor Letourneau covers the Warriors for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron