Moses Moody’s time with the Golden State Warriors has been littered with uncertainty — from his on-court playing time, trade speculation, and now his contract extension eligibility ahead of the October 21 deadline.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. stated on Thursday that there have been “good positive conversations” in regards to extensions for Moody and fellow 2021 lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga, though that sentiment is inconsistent to a recent report from Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Dunleavy did push to reiterate that just because an extension may not get done, doesn’t mean that Moody and/or Kuminga won’t be at the franchise for a very long time. At the same time the Warriors front office have appeared to be more willing to include Moody in trade discussions compared to some of their other young talent, having reportedly offered the 22-year-old in their dealings with the Utah Jazz for Lauri Markkanen.
A Moses Moody trade could get the Warriors an upgrade while giving the young wing an opportunity to thrive
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report recently urged Golden State to explore a Moody trade, citing the unlikeliness of an extension and the fact the franchise has acquired two similarly-positioned players this offseason in De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield.
With training camp now just days away, it’s highly unlikely that Moody is moved anytime in the next few weeks. But if there is no extension forthcoming, that could accelerate trade talks mid-season, rather than the Warriors putting themselves at the mercy of another team’s offer in restricted free agency.
In an ideal world Golden State would use Moody as part of a bigger package for a star player, as they tried to with Markkanen during the offseason. It’s difficult to evaluate where Moody’s value lies by himself — sure he’s got talent that teams could back themselves in to unearth, but it’s unlikely they’re banging down the door with anything major from a trade standpoint.
If Moody starts the season on the fringes of Steve Kerr’s rotation again, the Warriors really are duty bound to find a win-win deal that could net them an upgrade of sorts, while also allowing the fourth-year wing an opportunity to thrive and play consistently.
Let’s have a look at three trades that the Warriors could consider involving the former 14th overall pick:
1. Warriors land another three-and-D forward
Moody’s $5.8 million salary for this season makes any singe-player deal difficult, unless the Warriors are getting back another player on their rookie contract as was the case with this proposal that sends Isaiah Jackson to the Bay.
The framework of any Moody trade is likely to include another Golden State player, as is the case with this one that lands the franchise an experienced forward in Dorian Finney-Smith.
Golden State Warriors
Brooklyn NetsIf there’s a team that’s in a position to take a risky on Moody and give him a significant amount of minutes, it’s the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets who are forecast to be one of the worst teams in the league this season.
The Nets are expected to move on from veterans like Finney-Smith, Cameron Johnson and Dennis Schroder at some point this season. While they’d ideally get a first-round pick in exchange for Finney-Smith, taking a chance on Moody and a second-round pick may still interest them.
There’s also the fact they’d move off Finney-Smith’s $15.4 million player option for next season and take on two expiring contracts, allowing them further financial flexibility that all rebuilding teams should be after.
From a Golden State perspective, ideally Moody would be a similar type to Finney-Smith — perhaps with a little more offense and without the same defensive capacity. Yet at no point has Steve Kerr hinted that Moody could become the starting-calibre, 25-30 minute per game player that Finney-Smith has been over recent years.
This trade may weirdly enough come down to Payton and how he looks physically at the start of the season. If the defensive-minded guard is capable of reviving his previous impact, then this trade probably isn’t worth it from a Warrior point of view. However, if that’s not the case, it’s a deal the front office could consider given Finney-Smith ticks the boxes of size, high-level defense, experience, playoff history, and reasonable three-point shooting.
2. Warriors get their stretch big
Golden State getting themselves a true shooting big man cannot be understated. There’s a reason they went hard after Lauri Markkanen this offseason, while Steve Kerr recently suggested that Jonathan Kuminga’s hopes of playing small forward are largely determined by having a shooting five alongside him on the floor.
The Warriors don’t currently have one outside of Quinten Post who shouldn’t be relied upon as a 52nd overall pick in his rookie season. There could be a few different options for them around the league, but there’s one that stands above most when it comes to contract value.
Golden State Warriors
Orlando MagicThis isn’t the first time Wendell Carter has been proposed as a trade target for Golden State, and it probably won’t be the last either. The Orlando Magic re-signed centers Goga Bitadze and Mo Wagner this offseason, leaving enough to suggest that a Carter trade could be plausible.
Moody, a lottery protected first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a 3x champion in Kevon Looney is a fair package to give up for someone who averaged 11 points last season, but again it’s more so how Carter could change the dynamic of the team rather than just who he is as a player.
The 25-year-old shot 37.4% from beyond the arc last season, rebounds the ball at a high rate, has shown enough passing ability to fit the Warrior system, and is a steady enough defender while providing size at 6’10”.
A playoff team like the Magic aren’t going to hand Moody a chunk of minutes like the Nets necessarily would, but they’re still young and developing enough to the point where you could see them being interested in adding another piece to their young core, not to mention the picks that could help arm them for a big trade down the road.
3. Warriors trade for former Finals rival
Of Golden State’s 20 players currently on their training camp roster, only three are legitimate centers. Trayce Jackson-Davis impressed during his rookie season but is still only going into year two, veteran Kevon Looney looked tired and near on unplayable at times last season, and Quinten Post is on a two-way contract and likely to spend his fair share of time in the G League.
That leaves little wiggle room for the Warriors in the way of injuries, and will likely result in a heavy burden on veteran forward Draymond Green to play a fair portion of his time at center. While Golden State may prefer a shooting five like Carter, they could also just simply improve their center rotation with a player like Robert Williams III.
Golden State Warriors
Portland Trail BlazersWilliams may have a number of suitors around the league, but aside from that the Portland Trail Blazers don’t have a whole lot in the way of leverage. The 26-year-old is coming off just six games last season and 41 in the past two, while he’s only played more than 35 games twice in his six year career.
There’s also the fact Portland have a myriad of centers currently on their roster, having drafted Donovan Clingan with the seventh overall pick to go with Williams, Duop Reath and incumbent starting center Deandre Ayton.
It makes sense to move on from at least one of them — Reath is unlikely to have too much value despite a solid rookie year, while Ayton’s hefty contract is expected to turn teams away. That leaves Williams whose defense could be valuable to a number of playoff teams around the league.
“Timelord” averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks with the Boston Celtics during the 2021-22 season that ultimately finished in an NBA Finals defeat to Golden State. Williams was also named to the All-Defensive Second Team that year, and received votes in both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player awards.
Portland is actually fairly stocked at the shooting guard/small positions, but a number of the options are young and could be passed by Moody in the rotation. A Moody-Williams swap makes some sense, with Looney thrown in to help match the $12.4 million salary.
