Golden State Warriors 3 Most Likely Trade Candidates

The Golden State Warriors ' 2023-24 season did not go as planned.

The team's problems became more and more present with each passing game, as a group that was built to support two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry couldn't help the 35-year-old get past the Play-In Tournament.

The free agency period in the summer of 2024 granted the Warriors the chance to bring in several role players who could be critical pieces to the team in 2024-25, but it was also a period when the franchise lost one of its best players, Klay Thompson , who departed for the Dallas Mavericks .

Missing one of the most legendary players in the team's history heading into this season, the personnel that's been acquired has still led to overall uncertainty as the season gets closer.

This feeling of uncertainty also spills over into some of the Warriors' recent draft picks, who have both shown flashes and given the team a reason to consider trading them away for an All-Star caliber player.

Even though the team may not want to give up so quickly on the project pieces it's been developing for as many as three seasons, the front office may feel the pressure to bring another accomplished player to Golden State.

While the Warriors' "two-timeline" system worked well enough to warrant a 2022 NBA Title victory, it hasn't led the franchise past the second round since then. With Curry and Draymond Green on the tail-end of their prime years, the organization has been put into a tough spot.

General manager Mike Dunleavy has some decisions to make regarding the potential end to the "two-timeline" experiment.

The team could choose between keeping its young players and building for the next generation, or Dunleavy could look to ship out his young assets to supply Curry and Green with a new addition that could serve as the final piece to another three-headed monster in Golden State.

Here are the three players who are most likely to be traded from the Golden State Warriors if Dunleavy makes that move.

3Jonathan Kuminga

Kuminga's ascension could lead to him being the key piece in a blockbuster deal

As the No. 7 overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, Jonathan Kuminga 's development as a Warrior has taken both minor steps back and major strides forward throughout his short tenure.

In his debut season in 2021-22, the Warriors were desperately awaiting Thompson's return after his long absence from the court due to multiple injuries. The team was assuredly focused on winning its seventh NBA championship when it began the season with an 18-2 record through the first 20 games.

For this reason, Kuminga's time to shine was limited as a rookie.

Still, he managed to show significant flashes of athleticism and defensive potential at his position.

The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward was just 19 years old when the team raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy after its defeat of the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals, a series in which Kuminga played a total of eight minutes.

In his third campaign in 2023-24, with Thompson's evident decline and the need for a new contributor, Kuminga stepped up.

From Jan. 12 to Feb. 14, Kuminga scored 20 or more points in eight consecutive games and nine out of 10 games, including a 109-98 victory against the Brooklyn Nets when he scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

During this time, it was apparent that his skill level was expanding at a rate faster than expected, at least for that particular season.

Kuminga became the team's second scoring option for much of the season, and not only in those eight contests. This offseason, the team has used his rapid improvement as a potential trade chip for other franchises that are looking to start over with a promising young star.

In recent weeks, Kuminga was, in fact, dangled in front of opposing general managers by Dunleavy in trade talks.

The first star player that the Warriors were looking for in return, Paul George , was very close to joining the team through a massive sign-and-trade deal that presumably would have included Kuminga as the main trade chip.

George eventually left the Los Angeles Clippers for nothing as he walked to join the Philadelphia 76ers .

Though Kuminga dodged that deal, he's still been heavily involved in trade negotiations with the Utah Jazz , as the Warriors have been trying to come to terms on a trade that would send 2023 All-Star Lauri Markkanen to Golden State.

According to Shams Charania, the Jazz have been interested in acquiring many of the Warriors' young pieces and draft assets, including Kuminga.

As the best of Golden State's young talent pool, the team has undoubtedly not been shy about showing they are willing to go all-in by giving up their supposed future building block.

2Brandin Podziemski

Podziemski's surprising rookie season has led to plenty of interest on the trade market.

Brandin Podziemski accomplished something few other rookies have for Golden State under head coach Steve Kerr , and that was to win starting minutes early into his debut campaign.

Drafted with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara, Podziemski profiled as a player who would affect games through his grit and hustle abilities alone, but he showed a much more polished skill set in his first season as a Warrior, which has made him a prime trade target for a rebuilding franchise.

Podziemski was still one of the more gritty players in the league, skying for offensive rebounds despite his 6-foot-4 frame, diving on the floor for loose balls and drawing a league-leading 38 charges.

In addition to this style of play, he provided the team with all-around abilities that even impressed legendary point guard Chris Paul , who was a part of the team in 2023-24.

KNBR shared some of Paul's comments on Podziemski's play style in a press conference from November 2023.

"He's great man. B.P., we talk a lot during the game, his energy is contagious. That's another ball-handler that's out there that's able to attack [and] defend."

Podziemski's poise and professional play on the court made him a player who performed beyond his service time in the league, and he was one of the main guards that Kerr threw out in his late-game rotations during the season.

With Thompson's lackluster play, he was able to take the starting shooting guard spot through the trust he had gained from Kerr, who usually does not let rookies run the show halfway into their first season.

Podziemski's contagious effects on the court as one of the team's lead ball-handlers has led to the young point guard drawing interest from other teams.

Podziemski has been named in the trade rumors surrounding George and Markkanen, but it's been suggested that both the Clippers and Jazz view Podziemski as the most valuable asset in the deal, not Kuminga.

According to NBC Sports, Podziemski had reportedly become the major focus in a potential deal involving Markkanen, as the team looks to be valuing his ability to run an offense and play with ultimate effort over the score-first approach of Kuminga.

If Podziemski is moved from the Warriors, the team would lose out on a player who looks to be the franchise's lead guard of the future. Buddy Hield or De'Anthony Melton, two of the team's most recent free-agency signings, would likely take over as the starting shooting guard.

1Moses Moody

Moody's departure would seemingly be a given in return for a star

In every trade scenario that the Warriors have been in this offseason, Moses Moody 's name is mentioned more consistently than both Kuminga's and Podziemski's.

Since his debut season in 2021-22, Moody's in-between role with the Warriors has left his actual value up to interpretation.

Moody was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he was paired with Kuminga as Golden State's two wings of the future.

Three years later, he has not managed to consistently contribute to the team off the bench, though he's proven to be a 3-and-D option when given the opportunity.

In just 17.5 minutes per game, Moody showed that he could shoot the three-pointer consistently while his playing time shifted game-to-game. His ability to stay ready for the moment prepared him well for his nine games as a starter in 2023-24, as he averaged 12.6 points on 39.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 62.9 percent true shooting.

Kerr has seldom given Moody this opportunity, though, and other franchises may think they could be the ones to free Moody to become a great contributor elsewhere.

While both the Clippers and Jazz have mentioned Kuminga and Podziemski as their main targets, Moody has always been mentioned as a player who would assuredly find himself joining one of the two franchises.

While the Warriors have offered Kuminga, it would likely be their last resort to include a player with as much upside. Golden State would also be hesitant to deal Podziemski, as his value for being the No. 19 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft would be hard to let go of.

In most situations, Moody is the starting point of these conversations, as he is the young player that the Warriors would be the most ready to let go of.

While it may be unfair, Moody and draft capital would have been the base for a trade surrounding George, and it's certainly the starting point for a deal to acquire Markkanen from the Jazz.

As trade negotiations carry on between Utah and Golden State, all roads seem to lead to Moody's inevitable departure in any possible deal.