As the Golden State Warriors enter next season, almost no player has higher expectations placed on them than young wing Moses Moody.
After a strong showing in 2024-25, the organization has showed their faith in Moody by holding him out of any potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade, and, now, the young wing must take it upon himself to not only prove the organization correct but also keep himself out of further trade talks for Trey Murphy III.
Although the Warriors have shown their belief that Moody can continue his upward trajectory, it is clear that he would be on the trading block were a player of Murphy's caliber to become available,
Moses Moody needs to prove himself yet again next season
In the 2024-25 season, Moody took incredible strides forward in his game, averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists while taking over a large portion of starting wing duties following the team's acquisition of Jimmy Butler. Moreover, while a hand injury that was surgically fixed this offseason left him in a shooting slump in the late regular season and into the playoffs, he shot a career-best 37.4% from beyond the arc.
As he enters the first season of his three-year, $37 million rookie contract extension with Golden State, Moody could very quickly develop into the cost-controlled, effective 3-and-D player that all contenders covet.
Yet, at the same time, holding Moody out of trade discussions this offseason has been a bold swing on the Warriors' part. While it is uncertain whether they would have been able to acquire a player like Josh Giddey, their unwillingness to move Moody almost certainly prevented negotiations from even beginning in the first place.
Therefore, Moody's uptick in performance last season must prove not to be a fluke, and, in order to continue to become an impact player, his 3-point percentage will need to continue to climb closer to 40%.
In the same sense, Moody must also avoid disaster for himself next season as a result of Golden State's rumored interest trading for Murphy, the New Orleans Pelicans' valuable young wing.
Murphy, who is also on a team-friendly deal with a $25 million annual value, presents essentially an advanced version of Moody's skill set. Although there was a downtick in his perimeter shot last year, he still averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while playing stellar defense for the Pelicans.
If Moody does not continue taking strides forward in his game, the Warriors could intensify their pursuit of Murphy, causing the young wing to be definitively placed on the trade block. Therefore, Moody must continue to accelerate his performance in order to avoid disaster both for the organization and for himself next season.