With Baron Loss, Golden State Continues Streak of Getting Nothing for Something

As I wrote last night, the worst part of losing Baron Davis for Golden State is getting nothing in return. Even if you don't want to pay Boom, he's clearly a coveted asset who could fetch a return of some sort on the trade market -- draft picks, a replacement guard, a young prospect, or a contributing veteran.

But that's not Golden State's style, as Jason Gurney of BallHype shows us. Over the past decade, the Warriors have received very little in return for their best performers. The top prize: Brandan Wright in exchange for Jason Richardson. Antawn Jamison yielding Nick Van Exel seems rather painful, in retrospect.

The Warriors can't even bank on getting decent cap space out of Baron's departure, as extensions for Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins will likely place the franchise perilously close to the projected $57 million cap level. The Warriors would have to split less than roughly $19 million next season between the pair of restricted FAs to be able to spend a few dollars more than the team's $5.5 million mid-level ... and this doesn't account for a third restricted FA, Kelenna Azubuike.

It's pretty hard to blame Chris Mullin for the outright loss of Baron -- what, was he supposed to trade him last summer? -- but again, playing hardball with your free agents (potential or otherwise) has its pitfalls.