The Golden State Warriors would have been a lot better had the Chicago Bulls accepted their offer at the last NBA trade deadline.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Substack’s “The Stein Line” on Saturday, December 21, that the Warriors seriously pursued Alex Caruso and also four-time NBA rebounding leader Andre Drummond.
“Golden State, as one recent example, offered multiple first-round draft picks for Caruso at last February’s trade deadline and was even willing to part with Moses Moody, along with other players, sources said, in a trade construction that could have also landed Torrey Craig and Andre Drummond with Golden State. That’s the same Moody, of course, who came to terms with the Warriors on a Caruso-esque contract extension in October: $39 million over three years,” Fischer wrote.
Caruso would have easily been the Warriors’ best perimeter defender and Drummond would have been their best rebounder.
But that ship has already sailed.
The Bulls eventually sent Caruso in the past offseason to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey, who was selected nine picks ahead of Moody and one pick ahead of Jonathan Kuminga in the 2021 NBA draft. Then, Drummond signed a two-year, $10 million with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent.
The Curious Case of Moses Moody
Moody’s role with the Warriors remains in flux.
Over the last two games, Moody has only logged a total of 12 minutes. His guaranteed contract did not translate into a guaranteed spot in Steve Kerr’s rotation.
The addition of Dennis Schröder further buried him on the Warriors bench.
Moody could still be traded, but it’s more complicated now with the poison pill of his new contract.
In any trade involving Moody, his outgoing salary is his 2024-25 contract of $5.8 million, while his incoming salary to any potential Warriors trade partner is counted as $11.2 million, the average of his contract over the next four years.
Moody’s poison pill will be lifted in the offseason when his outgoing and incoming salary will be of equal value.
Warriors ‘Evaluating’ Their Center Rotation
After missing out on Drummond, the Warriors are still mulling their options on the center position, per Fischer.
The center position has drastically been devalued in the modern NBA until Nikola Jokic‘s rise as three-time MVP.
Jokic could potentially add another MVP hardware this season. He’s become a headache for the Warriors.
Jokic and the Nuggets hold an 8-1 record over the Warriors over their last nine meetings. And it’s not only Jokic whom the Warriors are dealing with in the crowded and supersized Western Conference.
There’s Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert, Rockets’ Alperen Sengun, Grizzlies’ Zach Edey and the Thunder pair of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Kevon Looney, the Warriors leader in rebounding with 7.5 per game, has an expiring $8 million deal that has drawn interest around the league, according to Fischer.
“After swiftly addressing its need for a secondary scorer behind Stephen Curry with Sunday’s acquisition of Dennis Schröder, Golden State is still evaluating its own center rotation, sources say. The Warriors have famously filled minutes with defensive savant Draymond Green at the five spot. And while Steve Kerr is known to hold a great affinity for Kevon Looney, Golden State’s veteran center has garnered plenty of early interest from around the league, sources say, as the Warriors consider whether or not to add another piece to a rotation that also features standout sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis,” Fischer wrote in a separate Substack report.
