When things have seemed like they couldn't get worse for the Golden State Warriors this season, they consistently have. Even after losing Jimmy Butler for the season to a torn ACL and Stephen Curry for almost two months with lingering knee soreness, injuries have continued to ravage the team.
Perhaps the most notable among these has been the absence of Moses Moody, who has now missed 10 games with a wrist sprain.
But with Moody questionable for Golden State's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on March 23, his return is certainly on the horizon. As the Warriors make a push for the upper-half of the play-in seedings, Moody's defensive and perimeter shooting abilities will be vital.
But the implications for Moody and Golden State extend even beyond that. If Moody is able to impress over the remainder of the regular season and into the play-in, he could make a strong case for the Warriors to take him off the trade block this offseason. If he struggles, questions will still remain surrounding his long-term viability.
Granted, a handful of games is not enough to provide the team with a definitive answer on Moody's continued potential. But with the urgency the Warriors are operating within, Moody has very little time to secure his place on the team moving forward.
Moses Moody's return from injury comes at a pivotal time
For Golden State, Moody's return couldn't come at a more needed time. Although it seems as though Curry and Kristaps Porzingis will also be back in the near future, their rotation is so depleted that they simply need NBA-caliber players back in the fold.
Moody is that and then some. Over the 27 games he's played since Jan. 1, he's averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while knocking down 43.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc. This is a career season for the fifth-year wing, and it's a clear advancement upon the strides he took towards the end of last season.
But the end of his last campaign was affected by injuries as well. He played through a torn UCL in his right thumb at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs, which led to a noticeable shooting slump to finish off 2024-25.
Throughout Moody's time with Golden State, he's almost perpetually been involved in trade rumors. This season was no different. Although he ultimately wasn't moved at the deadline, Moody's $12.5 million salary is a prime candidate to be aggregated in a trade for another star player.
With a team-friendly contract that extends over the next three seasons, there would certainly be interest were Moody to become available.
The Warriors have a series of important decisions to make this offseason about the role players they want to retain. With the end of Curry and Butler's contracts rapidly approaching, the urgency to provide the right combination of supporting pieces has never been higher.
They are also, however, conducting a difficult balancing act with the future of the organization. If they view Moody as part of the post-Curry core, they would be much more hesitant to entertain offers for him.
If Moody is able to find is form over this last set of regular season games and perhaps even help push the Warriors through the Play-In tournament, he could quickly remove himself from the trade block this offseason (barring an opportunity to land a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo). If he struggles over this last set of games, the bad taste that could be left in the organization's mouth could have major implications for his availability this summer.
Is it fair to judge a player on just a handful of games? Probably not. But such is the state of the Warriors' urgency at this time.