Who can Golden State Warriors afford to trade?

The NBA trade deadline is approaching and the Golden State Warriors are not nearly in as many rumors as they used to be. Nonetheless, it’s worth considering their options.

The Golden State Warriors are likely to lay low at the NBA trade deadline. Here is who they can and can’t afford to trade.

With the second-best record in the league and a ton of pieces that fit together, there isn’t much tinkering the Dubs should be looking to do. We split their assets into four categories below.

Untouchables

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole Jonathan Kuminga

Welcome to the untouchables. The way I see it, there are five players the Warriors absolutely should not include in trade under any circumstances.

The core four is obvious. You aren’t trading any of the original big three and with Andrew Wiggins finally breaking out into his All-Star role, it would not make much sense to part ways with him now.

Then there is Jordan Poole, who has embraced his role as the Sixth Man and given Golden State all of the secondary shot creation they could ever ask for.

Lastly, Jonathan Kuminga is simply too valuable to trade at this point. He’s a 19-year-old sensational athlete with supreme touch around the rim. Guys like him don’t often fail in the NBA and the Warriors would be making a grave mistake letting him go.

Not worth trading

Kevon Looney, Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter, Gary Payton, Juan Toscano-Anderson

This category was difficult to name. It’s not that these players have no worth per se. Far from it, actually. But it just isn’t useful to the Warriors to trade them.

In other words, you are not going to get an upgrade for any of these guys in a trade.

Porter is on a veteran minimum contract and playing lights-out basketball on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, Looney is anchoring the Warriors’ defense in the paint in one of the best years of his career.

Gary Payton deserves all the praise in the world for converting himself from a player on a two-way contract to perhaps an All-Defensive team nominee. Much of the same can be said for Juan Toscano-Anderson.

As for Iguodala, the veteran experience and chemistry he has built next to the Splash Brothers speak for itself.

They are all on quality deals and provide a specific skillset the Dubs need each night. It’s incredibly unlikely the Warriors can flip any of these players for something better and it honestly isn’t even worth messing with the team’s chemistry in order to do so.

Available only for a sky-high price

Moses Moody, James Wiseman

Now we get to the names who are probably up for negotiation. Though, the Warriors’ asking price should be sky-high.

Moses Moody has had a bumpy rookie season but is showing enough promise to warrant being a long-term piece to the puzzle. While James Wiseman has shown very little so far, his ceiling is too high to punt on this early into his career.

It would take one hell of an offer for the Warriors to make a deal involving either of these players. It’s not off the table but it’s hard to imagine any team in the NBA is desperate enough to match what is needed to acquire Moody or Wiseman.

On the table

Damion Lee and Nemanja Bjelica

Here we have the two players who should be on the table for Golden State. It’s slim pickings and won’t net them anything crazy in return. Yet, if anyone is traded, it would be Damion Lee or Nemanja Bjelica.

Bjelica is a trustworthy shooter who can provide spacing and playmaking in the front court. However, if Golden State finds a deal to swap him for a heavier, taller big man who can bunker down the paint against elite playoff foes like Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic, it could be worth it.

Lee is also a deadeye shooter, connecting on 37.5 percent of his 3-point attempts this season. Furthermore, Lee is a sturdy perimeter defender with good length and athleticism.

Nevertheless, Lee is the most expendable of the Warriors’ wide array of wing talent. There might not be a clear upgrade out there but Lee is the only one worth listening to offers for.