Moses Moody #4 of the Golden State Warriors
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Moses Moody #4 of the Golden State Warriors
We know for sure that the Warriors are actively seeking a trading partner to help them move on from Jonathan Kuminga, the 23-year-old former No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, who has fallen out of the team’s rotation altogether and could be moves as soon as next week, when he is first eligible to be traded under NBA rules. But he may not be alone among the young Warriors on the move. Wing Moses Moody, also a 23-year-old pick from the 2021 draft, is potentially in play, too.
“I think there has been a lot of resistance to moving on from all those young players they got from those down years (2020 and 2021),” one NBA GM said. “Especially from the owner (Joe Lacob). But I think now, they can see where they are and, what’s the point of holding on to these guys and hoping they suddenly become better than they are? And that means Moses Moody, too. It’s not just Kuminga.
“It’s a little harsh, Moody has done what they’ve asked him to do. But he might do well with a chance to have a bigger role somewhere else.”
Warriors’ Moses Moody on a Team-Friendly Contract
Moody, who is just starting a team-friendly, three-year, $37 million contract, is averaging a career-high 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game. But he is shooting just 40.6% from the field and 36.8% from the 3-point line.
Moody has started the last 12 games for the Warriors, and certainly, if he stays put past the trade deadline, there will be a use for him–there always is for a 3-and-D wing. But the Dubs have a bit of a logjam at shooting guard, with De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Will Richard, Pat Spencer and Gary Payton II all capable of filling in minutes there.
The Warriors can afford to let someone go, and Moody would have the most value. Brandin Podziemski might also be a solid target for other teams, but there’s no indication yet that the Warriors would trade him. But teams need Moody’s skill set, and his age makes him attractive even to rebuilding teams with cap space, like Washington and Brooklyn.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
GettyJonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga Could Be Packaged
Ideally, the Warriors would pair the contracts of Moody and Kuminga ($22.5 million this year, with a team option for next year) to bring back a $32 million player, a star-caliber player who can help them wring the last bits out of Stephen Curry‘s career.
That might not be easy. And if they can’t make it happen, dealing Kuminga and Moody separately is an option.
“You’ll get teams interested in Moody, and teams interested in Kuminga, and there can be some three, four-team trades that could get done that way,” the GM said. “It’s tricky but that’s what you have a front office for. They’re going to do what they can here to help Curry.”
Warriors 2-Track Plan Coming to an End
It would be an ignominious end to the Warriors’ vaunted “two-track” plan, which was supposed to see them let the prime members of the last dynasty–Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson–fade into the sunset as the next centerpieces rose to form their own dynasty.
That was Moody, Kuminga and former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman. The plan was a nifty one, though it was more a media construct than a black-and-white Warriors strategy.
Alas, Wiseman was dumped in a trade in 2023 and is currently out of the league, hoping for a 10-day contract. Kuminga has one foot out the door with the Warriors. And now, even Moody is potential trade bait. If the Warriors do trade off both Kuminga and Moody, then give Curry credit–he will have lasted longer than everyone on the so-called second track.