Moses Moody has settled back into a starting role over the past 11 games, but that also might work against him as the Golden State Warriors explore their potential trade options before the February 5 deadline.
It's becoming increasingly obvious that Moody isn't the consistent and reliable starter the Warriors need right now, with his current form only increasing the chances that he himself is in a trade at some point in the coming weeks.
Moses Moody is playing himself into trade conversations
There's no doubt that, at his best, Moody is an incredibly valuable player whose combination of shooting and length on defense can make him a valuable player on a team-friendly three-year, $37.5 million contract.
The problem is he hasn't been able to deliver that anywhere near consistently enough. In the last 11 games as a starter, Moody has shot 39.3% from the floor and 29.4% from 3-point range -- numbers the Golden State offense simply can't afford.
The Warriors don't necessarily have a replacement for Moody right now, at least while De'Anthony Melton is still on a minutes restriction. They should be looking at a replacement on the trade market though, particularly when they've got Jonathan Kuminga's $22.5 million salary to use in a deal once he's eligible to be moved next week.
Perhaps such a trade would allow Moody to return to a more effective bench role, but he should also be part of conversations if his contract can help Golden State acquire the sort of difference-maker they really need.
That difference-maker could be Michael Porter Jr. as someone Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints viewed as a potential trade target for the Warriors in a report on Tuesday.
"That includes packaging his (Kuminga) contract with either Moses Moody or Buddy Hield to create a salary buffer to pursue players on larger contracts, with Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. being the type of player the Warriors would make such a decision for," Siegel wrote.
Two months ago, Moody might have actually been more valuable than Porter given their respective contracts, and the idea of including him in a deal was blasphemous. Now, amid the contrasting form of both, it would be a perfectly reasonable deal for Golden State to make.
Moody can still play a role and potentially be part of the Warriors for years to come, but at the same time his form is making him very much expendable and someone who could be part of a trade in the next month.