Following another crushing loss, the Golden State Warriors have some tough decisions to make as the NBA trade deadline looms. As it stands, they sit 12th in the Western Conference and face an uphill battle to make the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs.
That seemingly increases the need for a mid-season trade and they have several trade candidates that could theoretically be on the move ahead of the February 8th trade deadline. Of course, not every player on the Warriors will be dealt, and they will have to decide which player to trust or trade.
Trust: Jonathan Kuminga
Third-year player Jonathan Kuminga has shown significant improvement but is just now carving out a large and consistent role with the Warriors. That has led to him voicing his frustrations over a lack of playing time, which has led to speculation that he could be traded. Despite that, the Warriors shouldn't move on from Kuminga since he is their best young player and is motivated to try and earn a lucrative rookie contract extension that he is eligible for after this season.
A lack of a consistent role may actually stifle his value and could lead to him and the Warriors agreeing to an affordable extension this summer. That would mean that they would avoid him hitting restricted free agency in the summer of 2025, and possibly losing him for nothing to another team willing to pay up.
With their massive payroll, they couldn't afford to match big offers so that would be huge, especially with Kuminga starting to realize his potential.
Trust: Klay Thompson
Long-time warrior star Klay Thompson has had an uneven 2023–2024 season thus far. Although Thompson isn't having nearly the season we have come to expect from the future Hall of Famer, it seems unlikely that he will be traded before the deadline. Instead, he will have a chance to play the season out and for the Warriors to assess his value going forward.
Golden State opted to lowball him on a contract extension this past summer, which proved to be the right decision, meaning that he will hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. As a result, there is a chance that he goes elsewhere this summer.
That would hurt Golden State but given his diminishing value, re-signing him to an exorbitant contract wouldn't make sense, and it doesn't make sense to trade him either. Especially because of all he's meant to the franchise, plus it's unclear what he would even fetch were he on the trading block. Therefore, letting Thompson play out the season seems like the most reasonable conclusion.
Trade: Chris Paul
When healthy, future Hall of Famer Chris Paul has mostly looked great for the Warriors this season. That being said, his nearly $30 million expiring contract is too good of an opportunity for them to squander since it would allow them to easily match salaries in a trade for a star while giving the other team the opportunity to dramatically cut costs.
In fact, the Warriors did just that by acquiring Paul this past summer in a deal that sent former Warrior Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards, where he has struggled. With Paul in what is likely to be his final season in the NBA, trading him could help the Warriors going forward, though it would add to their massive team salary and likely push them even deeper into the second apron.
One possible option could be Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, who, while talented, is on an expensive contract that will pay him $140 million over the next three seasons. His contract is so bad, in fact, that the Bulls are reportedly struggling to trade him.
That being the case, Golden State could swap Paul and Gary Payton II for LaVine. That would give Golden State more firepower. As a result, Paul seems likely to be moved before this year's deadline.
Trade: Andrew Wiggins
After securing a four-year, $110 million contract from Golden State last season, it appeared that they got a good deal for a two-way All-Star wing in Andrew Wiggins. Unfortunately, it appears they got duped instead.
Wiggins was the number one pick in the NBA draft back in 2014 and while talented, he hasn't fully lived up to his potential, resulting in the Timberwolves dumping him on the Warriors. While Wiggins developed into a key contributor and a star on the Warriors 2022 championship team, it appeared that that was a fluke. He hasn't been nearly the same player this season and with Wiggins struggling and owed more than $90 million in remaining salary, they should look to move on from him.
Assuming they decide to trade him, they may find a lukewarm trade market even though he is just 28 years old. In fact, they may have to include draft picks in a deal to help rid them of Wiggins. It is tough, though not impossible, and Golden State will need to do so at some point, assuming his play doesn't dramatically improve.
Trust: Draymond Green... for now.
It is hard for anyone to trust Warrior star Draymond Green after he repeatedly gets suspended, with the latest after he punched Phoenix Suns center Jusif Nurkic in the face. That punch cost him 12 games and likely further damaged his standing with the Warriors. Those incidents have seemingly increased, with Green having been suspended or disciplined in some way for violent acts a total of four times since before the start of last season.
Despite that, Golden State gave him a four-year, $100 million contract this past summer, and there were hopes that Green would remain with Golden State until the end of his career. That being said, with Greens play declining and his antics worsening, he is quickly becoming overpaid and the Warriors should cut bate if at all possible.
Even still, they may wait until after the season to see how he will respond after returning from suspension. If Green manages to play well and improves his trade value over the remainder of the season, Golden State should jump at the chance to move him in the offseason instead of hoping that he will keep it up over the remainder of his long contract.
While keeping the big three intact obviously has value for the team, it doesn't make sense long-term, with both Thompson and Green aging and Green proving costly in more ways than one. Based on that, Golden State should absolutely trade him if given the chance but in the offseason.