The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, and the Warriors are reportedly hoping one of their potential buyout targets doesn't get moved ... again.

NBA rumors: Warriors hoping Wesley Matthews makes it to buyout market originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com

The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, which means the rumor mill is abuzz.

Due to salary and asset constraints, it's unlikely the Warriors will be involved in any major trades this week -- at least directly, that is.

However, they may be in position to benefit from a trade that has already gone down.

The Mavericks and Knicks were involved in a trade last week that sent star big man Kristaps Porzingis from New York to Dallas for a package including center DeAndre Jordan and shooting guard Wesley Matthews.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Knicks have already begun canvassing the market for potential destinations to re-flip Matthews. But in the event New York is unable to trade Matthews, teams are lining up in hopes he makes it to the buyout market -- including Golden State.

The Knicks are exploring the trade market for Wes Matthews before Thursday's 3 PM deadline, league sources say, but there are also several antsy suitors hoping Matthews makes it to the buyout market. Among them: Houston, Oklahoma City, Toronto, Philadelphia and, yes, Golden State — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 4, 2019

Matthews -- as well as Jordan -- would make plenty of sense for the Warriors if either was bought out by the Knicks. But as NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole explained last week, Matthews would fill a greater need for Golden State, as the immediate success of Warriors and DeMarcus Cousins makes Jordan less of a necessity.

Not to mention, the Warriors never really replaced Patrick McCaw.

Playing in his 11th NBA season, Matthews, 32, averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 44 games for the Mavericks before being traded to New York last week. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, he has the necessary size to fit in the Warriors' switch-heavy defensive scheme.

In order to be eligible to play in the postseason, a player must be bought out by their incumbent team prior to Mar. 1. With over three weeks to go until that deadline, the Warriors have the luxury of seeing how the trade deadline shakes out before determining which course of action -- if any -- makes the most sense as they pursue a fifth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

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Matthews has averaged 13.5 points per game in 32 career playoff contests, but he's never been on a team that made it past the conference semifinals.

If Matthews does end up on the buyout market, and eventually on the Warriors, he'd have to feel pretty confident that would change in the near future.