If there's one thing we do know from the last month of Golden State Warriors basketball, it's that Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office will be active ahead of the Febraury 6 trade deadline.
Head coach Steve Kerr did suggest on Saturday that the franchise will be patient with the current roster over the coming weeks, but that can be taken with a grain of salt given he said something similar just before the Dennis Schroder trade.
3 Warriors who could be traded ahead of the deadline
Everyone but Stephen Curry could be in trade talks before the deadline, yet there are some more than others who are on borrowed time given who the Warriors have been linked to acquiring, and what Kerr's rotation has looked like in recent games.
Golden State were strongly linked to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic in a report from The Athletic on Saturday, with the front office unlikely to pursue a major play for 6x All-Star Jimmy Butler.
While Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins' tenure with the Warriors may have been strengthened by the report, the writing could be on the wall for a number of veteran players. The multi-year contracts of Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield may be more difficult to move, but others are on expiring deals that could be sent out in a deal for Vucevic or a different trade target.
Let's look at three players who may depart the franchise before the trade deadline:
1. Gary Payton II
Gary Payton II is expected to return on Golden State's upcoming four-game road-trip, having missed the last seven games due to a calf injury. Even when healthy the defensive-minded guard is averaging just 13.1 minutes -- the lowest of his last four seasons. The biggest issue is Payton shooting a paltry 15.6% from 3-point range, with his complete lack of perimeter threat becoming a major problem for a team that already has enough offensive concerns.
Combine these factors with Payton being on a $9.1 million expiring contract and it's very likely that he is moved, assuming the Warriors do make a trade before the deadline for someone making at least a similar figure.
2. Kevon Looney
Kevon Looney finds himself in a very similar position to Payton, having seen four DNPs in the last six games as Steve Kerr prefers to go to Trayce Jackson-Davis and some small-ball combinations. The 3x champion did have a strong start to the season, but his recent place outside the rotation is only increasing the chances of his departure.
Looney is on an $8 million expiring contract, with a combination of he and Payton going a fair way to acquiring a $20 million player like Vucevic. Given both Looney and Payton will become free agents in the offseason, Golden State could look to bring back one or both on smaller deals.
3. Moses Moody
Despite signing a three-year, $37 million extension just prior to the season, Moses Moody could once again find himself on the trade block before the deadline. The poison pill contract does make things difficult from a trade standpoint, but it's not impossible and the fact the fourth-year wing is still yet to solidify a consistent rotation role is concerning.
One of the more underrated rotation talking points has been Lindy Waters' spot above Moody, despite the latter shooting 39.8% from 3-point range in contrast to the former's 33.3%. If the Warriors think they can re-sign Waters on a near-minimum deal in free agency, then perhaps they'd be motivated to move Moody's impending contract if the right deal comes along.