Underrated aspect to Moody contract that could see Warriors' wing thrive

The Golden State Warriors and Moses Moody reached a contract extension on Sunday, with the fourth-year wing agreeing on a three-year, $39 million deal that will take him through to the end of the 2027-28 NBA season.

The contract provides some financial security for Moody, while for the Warriors it could prove a major steal if the 22-year-old has the breakout year many are expecting following an impressive preseason.

Moses Moody's new-found security at the Warriors could see him thrive

Moody averaged 15.5 points on 45.6% shooting from the floor and 39.4% from three-point range during the preseason. So why did he agree to this extension when he could have bet on himself to have a breakout year and potentially get upwards of $20+ million in restricted free agency?

Getting the financial security now is certainly a factor, particularly given few teams have cap room next summer. However, an underrated aspect is the new-found team security that this extension gives Moody.

The former 14th overall pick has constantly been in trade speculation over recent seasons, including just this offseason where Golden State were more than willing to include him in a package for Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.

Given Moody has never been able to nail down a consistent rotation role, his future at the franchise has always been a little unsettled. This extension provides him with some security, with the poison pill rule meaning it's going to be very unlikely that the Warriors could trade Moody until next offseason at the earliest.

Moody may still be trade eligible, but his outgoing salary to Golden State is his 2024-25 contract of $5.8 million, while his incoming salary to another team is the average of his contract over the next four years ($11.2 million). While not impossible, it makes salary-matching very difficult and therefore a trade highly unlikely.

Moody no longer has to have the same concern about trade speculation, at least over the course of this season. That's a potentially huge weight lifted off someone's shoulders, and could allow Moody to thrive in an even greater way than what's expected following his preseason form.

The same will be even more true for Jonathan Kuminga if the fellow fourth-year lottery pick signs a contract extension before the 3PM PT deadline on Monday. The contrast between his 2024-25 salary and the extension will be far greater than Moody's, only making it more difficult to match salaries in a potential trade. However, the chances of a Kuminga extension appears slimmer, with the two sides still far apart according to ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.