Getty Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr looks on during a summer league bout with the San Antonio Spurs.
After an incredibly rough stretch to start the 2022-23 season, the Golden State Warriors‘ bench has suddenly begun to show signs of life in recent games. One might even go so far as to say that it has been good.
In Tuesday’s bout with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, every Warriors reserve logged a positive plus/minus score, save for JaMychal Green (who was a relatively inoffensive minus-2 for the night). And Jonathan Kuminga, who has struggled to affect winning in the early season, led the way at plus-21.
Still, there’s a thought that the club would be better off with more veteran hands in the second unit, as it had last season with Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica.
With that in mind, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons just pitched a trade with the Chicago Bulls that would both A) yield assets for Chicago while helping to put it in the Victor Wembanyama chase and B) give Golden State another win-now piece in guard Alex Caruso.
Proposed Deal Also Includes Moses Moody
Hey Chicago… it’s time…
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the titular host pitched a series of deals with the aim of rebooting the Bulls. “Chicago should tank,” Simmons declared on the podcast. “And they should go deeper than that, they should blow it up.”
In an effort to strip the team down to its bones and begin anew, Simmons threw out three trades, including the following pact with the Dubs:
- Golden State Warriors receive G Alex Caruso
- Chicago Bulls receive G/F Moses Moody, G Donte DiVincenzo, a pick swap and cash
Where the Warriors are concerned, that’s a lot to give away for a player of Caruso’s ilk, particularly if you’re a Moody believer. And any future pick swap that the team offers up as its dynastic core begins to age out could result in a primo draft asset being shipped out.
If you can get past that, though, Caruso is a legit two-way baller with playoff experience and an ability to play big minutes when he has to (as he did at times for the injury-plagued Bulls in 2021-22). It’s not difficult to envision him stepping into a GPII-like role for the Dubs.
Over 21 appearances this season, the 28-year-old is averaging 5.8 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game with shooting splits of 43-39-77.
And if you can get past the potential of what Moody and the pick might be one day, what you’re left with is one outgoing player who’s not in the Dubs’ rotation currently and another who is still working to integrate himself into the team.
Moody Could Be a Nice Rebuilding Piece
Whether or not “blowing up” the Bulls at this juncture is even advisable is a matter for debate. Given that the team just locked up All-Star Zach LaVine long-term while still having DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball under contract, it may just be the time to do the opposite and go all-in for a title push.
For those who are eyeing a fresh start, though, Moody makes a ton of sense as a target.
The former No. 14 overall pick has drawn praise from Warriors coach (and former Bulls champ) Steve Kerr for his smarts/maturity, despite the fact that he’s still just 20 years old. Kerr also namechecked Suns star Mikal Bridges as a player comp at one point last season. And at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and an impressive-looking jumper, it’s not hard to see why.
In his 70 pro appearances to date, Moody has averaged 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per outing while bagging 35.3% of his triples.