{"id":536220,"date":"2026-01-14T15:04:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T15:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/536220\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T15:04:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T15:04:42","slug":"staring-at-a-fading-dynasty-who-could-be-on-the-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/536220\/","title":{"rendered":"Staring at a \u2018fading dynasty,\u2019 who could be on the move?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section 415 email newsletter here<\/a> and subscribe to the Section 415 podcast wherever you listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mike Dunleavy\u2019s third trade deadline as the Warriors\u2019 general manager is shaping up a lot like the first two.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Golden State (22-19) is an average team with the potential to give Steph Curry a chance to play meaningful basketball in April and May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Warriors are hard-capped at the second apron, at which they\u2019re only slightly below. They effectively can\u2019t take back more salary than they send out in a deal. They also have three future first-round picks and three swaps to dangle in offers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who might they package in a trade? These tiers should provide some clues.<\/p>\n

Time to turn the page<\/p>\n

Jonathan Kuminga<\/p>\n

The endless cycle of Jonathan Kuminga is heading to its inevitable conclusion. It needs to<\/a>. He\u2019s not in the Warriors\u2019 plans, and he \u2014 and his eminently tradeable contract \u2014 represent Golden State\u2019s last chance to get its veterans some ready-made help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If Kuminga is a Warrior on the morning of Feb. 6, it\u2019d be an utter organizational failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any takers?<\/p>\n

Buddy Hield<\/p>\n

The sharpshooter has been traded four times in his 10-year career, and could very well be in line for his fifth. He\u2019s on a cheap contract that\u2019s only partially guaranteed ($3 million) next season, which could be helpful for aggregating salary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hield saved the Warriors\u2019 season last year in Game 7 of the first round against Houston. But he has shot a career-low 32.7% from deep this year and has been usurped in the rotation.<\/p>\n

Legitimate trade chips <\/p>\n

Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski<\/p>\n

The Warriors\u2019 best perimeter defender and most promising under-23 player are each very valuable to them. They\u2019re also, naturally, popular around the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

2 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

4 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Moody has two years left on his team-friendly deal. Though he may be over-taxed as an everyday starter, he\u2019s the type of 3-and-D archetype that could slot into any practically any rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Podziemski is shooting 40% from 3 and is one of the team\u2019s most reliable role players. Even if he hasn\u2019t yet taken the leap he anticipated, he\u2019s still an undeniable win of a 19th overall pick. He\u2019ll also be eligible for a rookie extension this summer.<\/p>\n

Both are good players, and Podziemski has the potential to grow into more. But neither has made themselves indispensable quite yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ALike Kuminga, Moses Moody was a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. | Source: Amber Pietz\/The StandardHotter commodities than you might think!<\/p>\n

Quinten Post, Al Horford, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Will Richard, Gui Santos<\/p>\n

They\u2019re all real NBA players, and their salaries range from $1.2 million (Richard) to $5.7 million (Horford). In the apron era, rotation players on cheap contracts are like Bitcoin in 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be surprising for teams around the league to have interest in any of these players. But Post is Golden State\u2019s starter, Horford is a big part of their best-case-scenario plan, Richard has been closing games (along with De\u2019Anthony Melton), and Santos has looked like a Gary Payton II replacement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As valuable as they are around the league, these cheap players are probably more valuable to the Warriors \u2014 especially considering Golden State is paying Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green a combined $140 million.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Safe to buy their jersey<\/p>\n

Gary Payton II, De\u2019Anthony Melton, Seth Curry<\/p>\n

Melton is the Warriors\u2019 internal answer for what to do at shooting guard. If he can stay healthy through the spring, he\u2019ll close games in the backcourt next to Curry (and maybe even start them, too).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Payton and Seth Curry, meanwhile, are likely to remain Warriors for the inverse reason. They\u2019re much more valuable to the Warriors than anyone else because, frankly, they\u2019re not very useful to other teams. There\u2019s a reason Seth was willing to wait so long to sign with the Warriors, and then wait even longer into the regular season to ink a real deal. Now he has sciatica.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Payton works in the Warriors\u2019 ecosystem, and probably only in their ecosystem. His stint with Portland was an injury-riddled disaster, and his unique skill set limits his fit with other clubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AWarriors guard Gary Payton II looks to pass the ball against the Trail Blazers during the second quarter at Chase Center on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. | Source: Amber Pietz\/The StandardUntouchables (unless\u2026)<\/p>\n

Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green<\/p>\n

The Warriors have made it clear that they have no intentions of trading Butler or Green.<\/p>\n

Green, the 14-year Warriors veteran, has helped the franchise to four championships and perfectly complements Curry. His toughness, defensive acumen, and big-game capabilities make him essential. The Warriors have had so many chances to get off the bus in the past, and they\u2019ve always doubled down with him.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Butler, last year\u2019s home-run swing, has been everything the Warriors hoped he\u2019d be and more. At 36 years old, he rolls out of bed with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He\u2019s an excellent weak-side defender, ball-hawking passes and blowing up actions. A low-turnover yin to Curry and Green\u2019s yang, he showed how powerful a different look could be during last year\u2019s 23-8 sprint to the playoffs. This season, he ranks in the top-15 in PER, Win Shares, Box Plus-Minus, and VORP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps only a Greek-inspired bite at the proverbial apple would motivate the Warriors to even consider moving Green or Butler.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TwoThe Warriors want to keep Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green playing alongside Steph Curry. | Source: Alex Slitz\/Getty ImagesDon\u2019t even bother calling<\/p>\n

Steph Curry<\/p>\n

Hear that sound? It\u2019s the Warriors already hanging up the phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Curry isn\u2019t going anywhere, even if the Warriors remain a \u201cfading dynasty<\/a>.\u201d He has long expressed his desire to spend his entire career in Golden State, and unless that drastically changes for some reason in the next couple years, he\u2019ll get his wish.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3786],"tags":[7,479,164,4025,4024,867,6,66,863,255],"class_list":{"0":"post-536220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golden-state-warriors","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-golden-state","10":"tag-golden-state-warriors","11":"tag-goldenstate","12":"tag-goldenstatewarriors","13":"tag-jonathan-kuminga","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-steve-kerr","17":"tag-warriors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115894070407286141","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}