At 16-16, the Golden State Warriors are off to a thoroughly mediocre 2025-26 season start.
They’re currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, just a game clear of the 15-17 Memphis Grizzlies but three games behind the 19-13 Phoenix Suns.
Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry, even at age 37, has looked like his typical All-NBA self this season. So it makes sense that fans have rewarded him so far. He has received 1,031,455 in early fan voting returns for the 2026 All-Star Game.
Six-time All-Star Warriors small forward Jimmy Butler and 10-time All-Defensive Team power forward Draymond Green have both been solid, although both have shown signs of slippage this season. But the rest of the team has fallen a bit flat. Head coach Steve Kerr is so fed up with power forward Jonathan Kuminga that he has benched the former lottery pick.
It’s clear that Golden State needs to make a change before this season’s Feb. 5 trade deadline - ideally by adding some more defensive moxie and size in the frontcourt.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reveals that Golden State has already been chatting with several squads.
“The Warriors have held trade dialogue with several teams around the league as 2025 wraps up, including the Nets, Pelicans, and Bulls, sources said. Both Chicago and New Orleans still hold a level of interest in Kuminga, yet neither organization is completely sold on him being a potential building block for their long-term futures,” Siegel writes.
Siegel suggests that the Sacramento Kings, who had been reportedly considering adding Kuminga in a sign-and-trade over the summer, are likely out of the running at this point. That’s because the Warriors are relatively uninterested in adding combo guard Malik Monk. Sacramento has floated Monk, one of its best players, as a possible trade chip for rival teams since July.
In terms of returning trade assets, guard Coby White or big men Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins and Jalen Smith could all make some sense for the Warriors. Golden State could use help everywhere, but adding sharpshooting centers with legitimate size would particularly behoove them. For the Pelicans, defensive-oriented big forwards Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones are considered to be the top trade prizes. The Brooklyn Nets have a talented rim-running center in Nicolas Claxton, plus pricey sharpshooting forward Michael Porter Jr.
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“Murphy and Jones, like Coby White, find themselves as the most heavily pursued players leading up to the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline,” Siegel writes. “Over the next six weeks, decisions made regarding these three players will hold the most impact outside of what happens with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis.”
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