Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors watches from the bench.

The Golden State Warriors were one of the two teams named as a “logical fit” for oft-injured star Zion Williamson if the New Orleans Pelicans move on from him, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon.

The other team is the Chicago Bulls, who, in theory, can swap Zach LaVine for Williamson.

“ESPN talked to two team executives at the recent G-League showcase in Orlando and both pointed to Golden State as a logical fit for Williamson.

The Warriors have $40 million in expiring contracts, up to three first-round picks to trade, young players in Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and the $26.2 million salary of Andrew Wiggins,” Marks and MacMahon wrote.

The Warriors are in a free fall since their blistering 12-3 start. They have lost 13 of their last 17 games to fall to 10th place in the Western Conference.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Warriors are looking for another star next to Stephen Curry, whose 36-year-old knees have been showing wear and tear lately.

He’s shot below 30% in three of his last six games, including a 0-of-7 outing in Memphis on December 19.

When healthy, Williamson is a dominant force who can help ease Curry’s burden. But that is a tough ask, considering Williamson’s lengthy injury history.

Williamson, the 2019 No. 1 pick, played a career-high 70 games last season, but he has yet to appear in an NBA playoff game because of injuries. That’s why the Pelicans made the last three years of Williamson’s max contract non-guaranteed. He has to meet several benchmarks, from weight to playing a certain number of games, to guarantee the majority of the $197.2 million he could earn.

High-Risk, High-Reward Move

According to the ESPN report, Williamson’s agent, Bill Duffy, will not be pushing for a trade. So it’s up to the Pelicans to decide whether they need to cut their losses or hold on to Williamson, whose $36.2 million salary for this season becomes fully guaranteed on January 7.

With Williamson’s value at its lowest, will the Warriors make the bet that joining a winning organization could inspire the former Duke star to take better care of his physical health?

“Take a swing and work on his body,” an NBA executive told ESPN. “It would be complicated with his salary, but I think it would be doable.”

“Maybe there’s a bad team that needs a star,” another West executive told ESPN. “I don’t think he’s getting a premium picks package, but the guy has proven that when he’s healthy, he’s a star.”

The Warriors don’t fit the criteria of a bad team or a rebuilding team. But with the way their season is going, they need a jolt.

Williamson can provide that when healthy. He represents a high-risk, high-reward move. Are the Warriors desperate to make a huge bet?

Steph Curry’s Blunt Assessment of Warriors

Curry did not mince words when describing the current state of the Warriors following their 113-95 loss to the surging Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night.

“Like the kids say, we’re very mid right now,” Curry told reporters. “Just very average.”

Curry’s straightforward talk sounds like a desperate plea to the Warriors’ front office to get him more help after he was held to a 4-of-14 shooting night.

“I think we understand that better days can be ahead,” continued Curry, who finished with only 11 points. “We’re not in that big of a hole in the Western Conference if you look at the standings.

The Warriors are just 2.5 games outside the top six in the West, which means an automatic playoff berth with still 51 games left to play.

“Go on a five or six-game run, to us that sounds like a lot, but it’s the numbers, you can make up a lot of ground pretty quickly,” Curry said. “Tough task, but that fine line between losing hope and confidence and understanding that with one good week, you’re kinda back in it, that’s where we are.”