Warriors' Jimmy Butler in the middle, with silhouettes of Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody beside him
Warriors' Jimmy Butler in the middle, with silhouettes of Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody beside him
The Golden State Warriors are always going to face some pressure to put together a strong roster around Stephen Curry for as long as Curry is playing. Curry may have slowed down a bit, particularly due to injuries, but he's always been a proud winner who would love nothing more than to get one more realistic shot at winning a title.
Alas, the Warriors swung and missed this offseason as they pursued LeBron James in free agency. They also decided that it wasn't worth trading away their future first-round picks for an upgrade considering that mortgaging their future would be a disaster since they aren't exactly in the title-contending picture.
Nonetheless, the Warriors face the same dilemma heading into the 2026-27 season. Curry is already 38 years of age, but he's still an amazing player when healthy, and they at least owe it to the greatest player in franchise history to put the team in the best position to succeed. However, they cannot risk emptying the cupboard, lest they have nothing to show for it once Curry inevitably retires.
With that said, the Dubs have to weigh the possibility of trading away these three players. The team they have at the moment is old, and in today's NBA, having an older team does not seem conducive to success. The past few NBA champions have all had young squads (or at least in their prime) who thrive in fast-paced play, and if Curry permits it, it might be time for the Dubs to prepare for life after him.
Jimmy Butler
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks during the third quarter at Chase Center
Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
There is no questioning how impactful Jimmy Butler was for the Warriors when he first arrived on the team in 2025. They went 23-7 with Butler on the team following the trade deadline, and they ran that hot streak of theirs all the way to the second round of the playoffs. If it weren't for Curry's hamstring injury during that series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Dubs may have had enough firepower to make it to the Western Conference Finals.
Now, the Dubs faced some lethargy during the 2025-26 season, and they went just 23-15 with Butler on the team last season. However, that 23-15 record was still much better than the 37-45 record they finished with. Just to be clear, the Dubs went 14-30 without Butler last season — an unmitigated disaster.
Butler did tear his ACL, and the Dubs simply couldn't recover from that, especially when Curry himself was on the shelf due to a knee injury. But therein lies the worry. Butler, barring an unforeseen turnaround, won't be available for the Warriors to start the 2026-27 season.
The 37-year-old star forward tore his ACL back on January 19, and by the time the 2026-27 campaign starts, nine months would have passed since he sustained that injury. Now, it's not the craziest thing in the world for him to come back after just nine months, but conservative recovery projections have him returning in January.
The Warriors may not have the luxury of waiting for Butler to return. Their wing situation is once again a bit shaky, even with Gui Santos' emergence and the selection of Yaxel Lendeborg in the 2026 NBA Draft. Moreover, the Dubs do not have a legitimate second star to help Curry with carrying the offensive burden.
This offseason, many rumors came out that the Warriors had indeed explored the possibility of trading Butler, who is in the final year of his contract making $56.8 million, for another star who can help the team. There were even rumors that the Dubs could package him to the Washington Wizards in a trade for Anthony Davis to convince James to sign with the team.
Thus, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility for the Warriors to explore the possibility of trading Butler away once more. There are questions as well regarding his ability to return to his pre-injury superstar form, especially now that he's approaching his late 30s.
If push comes to shove and the Warriors become desperate, no one should be surprised if they end up pulling the trigger on a Butler trade.
Kristaps Porzingis
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Larry Bird
Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porzingis (7) reacts after being fouled against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Speaking of desperate, the Warriors were simply looking to offload Jonathan Kuminga and get ay sort of of value in return when they acquired Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks. Porzingis was barely suiting up for the Hawks at the time due to his lingering illness, although he did average around 16 points per game in the 15 games he played for the Dubs following that trade.
Considering that they traded Kuminga for Porzingis, the Warriors must have felt that it would have been a huge loss for them if they didn't re-sign the Latvian big man. Thus, they re-signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract, with Porzingis holding a player option for the 2027-28 season.
If Porzingis was healthy, that contract would be a steal. But as a part-time player, it might be hard to justify that kind of contract. Alas, the Dubs had no choice but to bank on Porzingis' upside, as he can be that secondary scoring weapon they badly need if he can just suit up more consistently.
However, there isn't much to suggest that Porzingis is suddenly healthy and can suit up for more than half of the 82-game season. Again, if the Warriors feel like they need a more durable player to put alongside Curry, they could perhaps entertain the idea of using Porzingis and his contract to get that said player.
Moses Moody
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) reacts to a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
The Warriors would most likely keep Moody on the roster as he recovers from a ruptured patellar tendon. In fact, Moody is working his way back, as he looks to resume on-court drills this month.
Nonetheless, it's simply due diligence for the Warriors to explore the possibility of trading Moody away. He is making $12.5 million for the 2026-27 season, which is exactly the kind of nine-figure contract that can easily be traded away to bring in a healthy contributor.
But like Butler and Porzingis, it's hard to see the Dubs trading Moody away unless they get very desperate. And throughout Curry's tenure with the franchise, the Warriors have never operated with that kind of recklessness, preferring to instead take the safe approach. But no one should rule out this possibility.