The Golden State Warriors have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the trade deadline and they are looking like a championship contender once again.

It was a tough start to the season for the Warriors as they were fighting for their playoff lives entering the trade deadline. They then pulled off the blockbuster trade with the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler, which has turned their season around.

With their new superstar duo of Butler and Stephen Curry, the Warriors have climbed from 10th to sixth in the Western Conference standings and have looked like a completely different team.

Of course, Butler was the only player the Warriors acquired at the trade deadline and their general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. recently revealed that Quinten Post’s development made Golden State approach the trade deadline differently.

“(Post) adds an element that we don’t have,” Dunleavy Jr. told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Bonta Hill on Dubs Talk. “And frankly, we were kind of looking for it in the trade market, and we said, ‘Hey, wait a second, maybe we have this right now, in-house.’ And it’s been nice to see his progression this year.”

This is high praise for Post, who has had a great rookie season for the Warriors.

With Post playing well, Golden State elected to not pursue a big man in the trade market despite being linked to many around the NBA, including Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls.

Of course, the Warriors selected Post 52nd overall in the 2024 draft and he has been a key player for Golden State this season off the bench.

This season, the 24-year-old is averaging 8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 42.6% from three. He has proven to be a great three-point shooter and also gives the Warriors much-needed size.

With Post having a great rookie season and receiving high praise from Dunleavy Jr., the Warriors hope that he can continue to develop into their center of the future.