Warriors’ Moses Moody Sounds Off on Fluctuating Playing Time

Moses Moody went scoreless in 13 minutes off the bench as the Golden State Warriors‘ losing streak extended to three games with a heartbreaking 105-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 27.

Moody missed all his four attempts from the field two nights after scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting against the Brooklyn Nets. But he did add two rebounds and one assist in his limited playing time.

After his seventh double-digit scoring game of the season in the Warriors’ loss to the Nets, Moody was asked about sustaining his rhythm despite his fluctuating minutes in Steve Kerr’s 12-man rotation.

“That’s not a luxury I’ve had through my career, so, I’ve kind of had to figure out how to play — whatever happens, whatever the opportunity is,” Moody told reporters following their 128-120 loss to the Nets on November 25 “I kind of just deal with whatever it is. I don’t necessarily look for outside things as in playing time, rotation, or whatever it is. When I get the opportunity, I take the shots that I get. I take the driving lanes that I get and just play.”

Moody is exclusively being used as Andrew Wiggins’ backup.

Wiggins played 35 minutes against the Thunder, scoring 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting. But Wiggins scored a key 3-pointer in the final 11 seconds that cut the Thunder’s lead to only one 102-101.

However, Wiggins’ game-tying attempt with three seconds left was blocked by Thunder’s defensive ace Lu Dort.

Moses Moody Could Start for Another Team

Moody, the 14th overall pick in 2021, signed a team-friendly three-year, $39 million extension even without a guaranteed major role in Kerr’s rotation.

Entering the season, Kerr hinted that Moody’s role would stay similar to last season — from the outside looking in.

“It’s a numbers game,” Kerr told reporters about Moody’s situation after their practice on October 7. “The only thing any of these guys can do is go out and have a great camp and make it really hard on us as decision-makers, and Moses is having a great camp. He’s playing great. All he can do is just keep doing what he’s doing.”

Despite Moody’s career continuing to get stunted by the Warriors’ expanded 12-man rotation, the former Razorbacks star has shown improvements in his game.

Moody is hitting a career-high 39.4% from the 3-point line, making 1.4 per game during his 16.7-minute stint as Wiggins’ backup.

His per-36 minutes numbers — 17.6 points, 3.1 made 3-pointers, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists — would earn him a starting spot in most NBA teams.

But as Moody said, he doesn’t have the luxury of extended playing time with the Warriors.

Unless Wiggins gets moved, Moody will continue languishing on the bench.

Moses Moody’s Poison Pill Contract

Moody could be stuck in the Warriors this season because of the poison pill of his new contract, which is applied when a player who signed a rookie scale extension is traded before the extension takes effect.

Moody can still be traded, but it’s going to be tricky, and the Warriors cannot maximize his team-friendly contract in any potential trade.

Because of the poison pill, Moody’s outgoing salary to Golden State is his 2024-25 contract of $5.8 million, while his incoming salary to another team counts as $10.8 million, the average of his contract over the next four seasons.

If the Warriors decide to move on from Moody, the best time to trade him is in the next offseason when his poison pill gets lifted. Moody will be accounted for his $12 million salary for the 2025-26 season by that time.