The Warriors are sitting at 25-20, and they’re basically living in that annoying middle zone where you’re good enough to believe, but not good enough to relax.
The deadline is February 5, and the front office has to decide what kind of season this is really going to be. Steve Kerr has already been pretty open about the idea that the roster needs a real jolt if the Warriors want to separate from the pack.
And the timing got even messier with Jimmy Butler going down, because now every “big swing” rumor has to be weighed against reality, money, and what the Warriors can even put on the floor in the short term.
Jonathan Kuminga Gets Dealt In A Three-Team Trade
This is the cleanest “Warriors trade deadline” storyline because it’s the one that already has actual smoke behind it. Jonathan Kuminga reportedly requested a trade once he became eligible, and the Kings and Bulls have both been mentioned among the teams with interest.
Kuminga is on a $22.5 million deal this season, and that number matters because it’s big enough to bring back a real veteran, but still flexible enough to stack in a multi-team framework. And the Warriors have a real incentive to move now if the relationship is as strained as it’s been painted in recent reporting.
So here’s the prediction:
Warriors Receive: Nikola Vucevic
Kings Receive: Jonathan Kuminga
Bulls Receive: Malik Monk
Monk, being the movable piece, isn’t random. Michael Scotto reported the Kings have gauged the trade market on Malik Monk, and that’s the kind of “they’re listening” breadcrumb that usually shows up before something actually happens.
Monk is on a $18.8 million salary this season, which makes him a perfect bridge contract for a third team that wants scoring but doesn’t want to fully bottom out.
Nikola Vucevic is the part that makes this feel like a Warriors move. He’s averaging 17.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, and he’s the kind of plug-in offensive big who can steady lineups when things get ugly. He’s also on a $21.5 million contract, which lines up with why Kuminga’s number matters in the first place.
And yes, there’s been Warriors-Vucevic chatter before, with reporting noting him as a legitimate target type for them.
Why I buy it: the Warriors need reliability, not another “maybe,” and a playmaking center who can score without plays being run for him fits that exact “make it easier for everyone” goal.
The Warriors Don’t Land Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr. is the classic deadline name. Big scoring wing, big salary, bad team, and everybody connects the dots.
He’s also been awesome this season, putting up 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, which is legitimately star-level production. And his $38.3 million salary is the part that turns every conversation into a real “do you actually mean it?” test.
But here’s why I’m calling it a miss for the Warriors: the reporting temperature has been cooling. Shams Charania has been tied to the idea that the Warriors haven’t shown real interest, and later aggregated that the talks with the Nets haven’t been substantive. Even Zach Lowe, as cited in a Bleacher Report roundup, framed it like the Warriors aren’t “super interested.”
The other issue is simple: if you’re paying $38.3 million for Porter Jr., you’re probably gutting multiple rotation pieces, and the Warriors already have a depth problem when injuries hit. That’s not a theoretical concern anymore.
They Don’t Trade Jimmy Butler At All
This one sounds spicy, but it’s actually pretty straightforward.
Jimmy Butler is on a $54.1 million salary this season, and he produced like a star, averaging 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. The problem is the ACL tear and the chaos that always follows when a huge contract meets uncertainty.
Still, Mike Dunleavy has already poured cold water on the idea that the Warriors are looking to move him, saying he doesn’t envision trading Butler. That’s the kind of direct public stance front offices take when they want the league to stop calling.
My read: Butler stays, the Warriors treat this as “survive now, reassess later,” and they refuse to sell him for pennies just because the timeline got weird.
Buddy Hield And Moses Moody Don’t Get Tossed Into A Panic Deal
This is the part where teams mess up. They start stapling decent role players into trades just to make the math work, then realize two weeks later they’ve got nobody left who can actually play.
Buddy Hield is on $9.2 million and Moses Moody is on $11.6 million, and those numbers are exactly the kind of contracts that get used as trade grease. But I think the Warriors hold here.
Hield’s role is simple, even if the results have been up and down. He’s averaging 8.0 points in 18.8 minutes, and while the 3-point clip hasn’t popped like you’d want, the spacing gravity still matters on a roster that can’t afford to shrink.
Moody is the bigger one for me. Moses Moody is giving them 10.7 points on 39.2% from three, and he’s been a steady two-way piece in the exact age range the Warriors need more of. If you’re moving Kuminga, trading Moody, too, starts to feel like you’re ripping out the entire “next core” in one week.
They Shop The Buyout Market And Khris Middleton Is The Name
This is the most savvy move, because it’s the exact type of thing contenders do when the trade market gets overpriced.
Khris Middleton is on a $33.3 million contract, the Wizards are sitting at 10-32, and if things keep sliding, the buyout conversation is going to be real. The Athletic’s Josh Robbins said that a buyout could be likely for Middleton, and that’s the breadcrumb that makes this worth tracking.
Middleton hasn’t been vintage Middleton this season, he’s at 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, but the point of a buyout add isn’t “save us,” it’s “give us one more adult wing who can play playoff basketball.”
If he hits the market, the Warriors should be aggressive. Not desperate, aggressive. The pitch is easy: meaningful role, real shots, and a chance to matter on a team that still plays big games every spring.
Final Thoughts
The Warriors’ smartest path is pretty clear: move Jonathan Kuminga for a veteran who stabilizes the offense, don’t overpay for the Michael Porter Jr. dream if the interest isn’t even real, and don’t start flipping every decent rotation guy just because the deadline is loud.
If the Kuminga three-team concept turns into Vučević, that’s not flashy. It’s functional. And right now, functional might be exactly what keeps the Warriors from wasting another Stephen Curry season where he’s still playing like a top-tier engine at 27.1 points per game.
