Warriors trade tiers: Staring at a ‘fading dynasty,’ who could be on the move?

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Mike Dunleavy’s third trade deadline as the Warriors’ general manager is shaping up a lot like the first two. 

Golden State (22-19) is an average team with the potential to give Steph Curry a chance to play meaningful basketball in April and May. 

The Warriors are hard-capped at the second apron, at which they’re only slightly below. They effectively can’t take back more salary than they send out in a deal. They also have three future first-round picks and three swaps to dangle in offers. 

Who might they package in a trade? These tiers should provide some clues.

Jonathan Kuminga

The endless cycle of Jonathan Kuminga is heading to its inevitable conclusion. It needs to. He’s not in the Warriors’ plans, and he — and his eminently tradeable contract — represent Golden State’s last chance to get its veterans some ready-made help. 

If Kuminga is a Warrior on the morning of Feb. 6, it’d be an utter organizational failure. 

Buddy Hield

The sharpshooter has been traded four times in his 10-year career, and could very well be in line for his fifth. He’s on a cheap contract that’s only partially guaranteed ($3 million) next season, which could be helpful for aggregating salary. 

Hield saved the Warriors’ season last year in Game 7 of the first round against Houston. But he has shot a career-low 32.7% from deep this year and has been usurped in the rotation.

Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski

The Warriors’ best perimeter defender and most promising under-23 player are each very valuable to them. They’re also, naturally, popular around the league. 

Moody has two years left on his team-friendly deal. Though he may be over-taxed as an everyday starter, he’s the type of 3-and-D archetype that could slot into any practically any rotation. 

Podziemski is shooting 40% from 3 and is one of the team’s most reliable role players. Even if he hasn’t yet taken the leap he anticipated, he’s still an undeniable win of a 19th overall pick. He’ll also be eligible for a rookie extension this summer.

Both are good players, and Podziemski has the potential to grow into more. But neither has made themselves indispensable quite yet. 

Quinten Post, Al Horford, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Will Richard, Gui Santos

They’re all real NBA players, and their salaries range from $1.2 million (Richard) to $5.7 million (Horford). In the apron era, rotation players on cheap contracts are like Bitcoin in 2017. 

It wouldn’t be surprising for teams around the league to have interest in any of these players. But Post is Golden State’s starter, Horford is a big part of their best-case-scenario plan, Richard has been closing games (along with De’Anthony Melton), and Santos has looked like a Gary Payton II replacement. 

As valuable as they are around the league, these cheap players are probably more valuable to the Warriors — especially considering Golden State is paying Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green a combined $140 million.  

Gary Payton II, De’Anthony Melton, Seth Curry

Melton is the Warriors’ internal answer for what to do at shooting guard. If he can stay healthy through the spring, he’ll close games in the backcourt next to Curry (and maybe even start them, too). 

Payton and Seth Curry, meanwhile, are likely to remain Warriors for the inverse reason. They’re much more valuable to the Warriors than anyone else because, frankly, they’re not very useful to other teams. There’s a reason Seth was willing to wait so long to sign with the Warriors, and then wait even longer into the regular season to ink a real deal. Now he has sciatica. 

Payton works in the Warriors’ ecosystem, and probably only in their ecosystem. His stint with Portland was an injury-riddled disaster, and his unique skill set limits his fit with other clubs. 

Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green

The Warriors have made it clear that they have no intentions of trading Butler or Green.

Green, the 14-year Warriors veteran, has helped the franchise to four championships and perfectly complements Curry. His toughness, defensive acumen, and big-game capabilities make him essential. The Warriors have had so many chances to get off the bus in the past, and they’ve always doubled down with him. 

Butler, last year’s home-run swing, has been everything the Warriors hoped he’d be and more. At 36 years old, he rolls out of bed with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He’s an excellent weak-side defender, ball-hawking passes and blowing up actions. A low-turnover yin to Curry and Green’s yang, he showed how powerful a different look could be during last year’s 23-8 sprint to the playoffs. This season, he ranks in the top-15 in PER, Win Shares, Box Plus-Minus, and VORP. 

Perhaps only a Greek-inspired bite at the proverbial apple would motivate the Warriors to even consider moving Green or Butler. 

Steph Curry

Hear that sound? It’s the Warriors already hanging up the phone. 

Curry isn’t going anywhere, even if the Warriors remain a “fading dynasty.” He has long expressed his desire to spend his entire career in Golden State, and unless that drastically changes for some reason in the next couple years, he’ll get his wish.