Warriors Projected to Trade Young Star In Offseason

The Warriors roster could look drastically different next season, and Moses Moody is being projected as a player who could be traded in the 2024 offseason.

Moody, averaging 7.8 points off the bench in his third year, has struggled to find his footing on a Warriors team that hasn’t been averse to going young. Unlike last season when the Dubs were unsure of their identity and continued to rely on veterans, the 2023-24 iteration of Golden State has been all about the youth movement.

While Jonathan Kuminga and rookie Brandin Podziemski have established themselves as full-time starters, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis has been receiving significant minutes off the bench, often seeing more court time than veteran Kevon Looney.

As such, the idea of Warriors being hesitant to feature Moody due to his inexperience would be rather inaccurate. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes argues that although Moody brings “hustle and energy” when called upon, he’s become the odd man out who doesn’t fit into Golden State’s system.

“…It’s becoming clearer that he is a “jack of all trades, master of none” contributor,” Hughes wrote of Moody. “So, when the Warriors need lockdown defense off the bench, it’s [Gary] Payton who gets the call. When they need playmakers to keep the ball hopping, they turn to Chris Paul and Podziemski.

“If Moody had improved as a spot-up shooter, perhaps this would be a different conversation. But he’s down to 33.3 percent from deep, well below the 36.4 percent he shot as a rookie and the 36.3 percent he canned last year.”

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Can Moody & Co. Flip the Script?

The Warriors face a daunting task to qualify for the 2024 NBA Playoffs. As of March 25, they sit in the tenth seed, just a game ahead of the Rockets and three-and-a-half games behind the Lakers. Unless they climb to the seventh or eighth seed, the Warriors would need to win two sudden-death elimination scenarios to make the playoffs.

The oddsmakers don’t like their chances of making a deep postseason run.

However, what if Steve Kerr’s team defies the odds?

Last year’s Lakers, as a seventh seed, made it to the Western Conference Finals. Out East, the Heat made the NBA Finals as the eighth seed.

If Moody becomes a valuable contributor who helps the Warriors make noise in the playoffs, all the talk of trading would dissipate.

However, if the Warriors flame out early, it’s almost guaranteed that the Mike Dunleavy Jr.-led front office will have many decisions to make this summer.

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Will Moody Remain Part of the Core?

For starters, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Chris Paul could all become free agents. Andrew Wiggins has been mentioned in trade talks for a while. Then the Warriors would have to decide which among their young core they plan to retain.

At this point, it almost feels like only Curry, Kuminga and Podziemski are locks to return next season, with even defensive ace Draymond Green’s future up in the air.

However, the likelihood of the Warriors going into a total rebuild is unlikely. In a recent interview with Baxter Holmes of ESPN, Warriors Governor Joe Lacob made it clear that his franchise plans to remain a title contender for the foreseeable future.

“We’re never going to bottom out. I won’t settle for that. We’re not doing that,” Lacob stressed.

Moody was drafted 14th overall by the Warriors in 2021. Could he be playing for another team next season? The following month or so would determine his fate.

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