The Warriors Could Be In For A Tough Time Upgrading Roster

The Golden State Warriors are finding themselves in a tough spot. Not only could they risk losing one of the primary architects of their dynasty in Bob Myers, but they’re also stuck in no man’s land, playing roughly .500 basketball on the year, with little chance of making significant upgrades.

The challenge, it would appear, is making the team’s young players look attractive on the trade market, in an attempt to acquire solidified veterans to help Golden State defend their title.

James Wiseman, the prized selection from three years ago, has yet to live up to expectations, and his trade value has plummeted as a result of uninspiring play and a lack of progress. He’s playing just over 12 minutes per game, and it could be argued that the most attractive thing about him at this stage is the $9.6 million on his contract for this season. That makes him a trade chip, and if some team believes they can turn him into a star, all the better for the Warriors.

However, teams aren’t dumb. Even if some organization should be of the belief that Wiseman works out for them, they have to play the market. No one is coming in with a sweetheart offer and relinquishing remarkable value for an asset that is widely regarded as somewhat average.

If anything, the best bet for the Warriors is to attempt to attach future draft selections to the contract of Wiseman, and see what type of return they can get. And even then, it might not even be worth it.

Jonathan Kuminga is a solid prospect, and one who has shown a certain ability to produce since he made it to the league last year. Teams should be interested taking on a 6’8 wing big, who projects as a long-term contributor.

But the question will unquestionably be “what’s the price?”. While an intriguing player, there’s a limit to what most teams would give up for Kuminga, who remains raw, and a bit of a project.

The Warriors could move Kuminga in a deal for a veteran tomorrow if they wanted to, but would they get enough in return for what they give up?

It’s likely the Warriors get more value out of Kuminga as a player than as a trade chip, which would make any deal somewhat pointless. The whole point is making a substantial talent upgrade to keep the wheels spinning, but if that upgrade isn’t available, it makes more sense to play the long game and hope for Kuminga to enter his third season as a more polished player ready to make steady contributions.

Finally, there’s Moses Moody, another lottery selection. Moody, like Kuminga, has upside. But we’re reaching a point where it’s fair to wonder what the extent of that upside is. Does he project as a starting two-way wing, and if so what will he need to do to get to that point?

Moody is raw, not highly productive, and slightly timid is his approach to the game, but some of that might be due to the overall expectation level of playing on a team like Golden State, where the championship is always the end target. It would seem optimistic to expect a major return for Moody until he starts becoming more assertive, but with the deadline less than two weeks away, there simply isn’t enough time for the youngster to convince teams he’s the real deal.

It’s not an easy spot for Moody. The organization, and league, will be looking for proper step forward when he enters his third season, and if he doesn’t respond, his value will drop. And quickly. Through that perspective, would it be a good idea to get what you can now for the 20-year-old, and live with the consequences if he should blow up elsewhere? That’s a conversation worth having internally, if you’re the Warriors.

Of course, Jordan Poole is a highly productive young player, just 23 years old, but he’s already signed his extension and is thus currently under Poison Pill status, which makes him incredibly tricky to even trade. If he wasn’t, he’d obviously be the primary player to shop around. But that won’t be possible until after the end of the season, unless the Warriors get creative when structuring a trade.

Overall, the Warriors are in a tough time if they aspire to turn their young players into well-established veterans, who can help Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins on their quest to another championship.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.