Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud / Turn forth her silver lining on the night?
That line, from a 1634 poem by John Milton, was the origin of our modern phrase "every cloud has a silver lining." And for fans of the Golden State Warriors feeling jilted by LeBron James and wondering what is next, there is at least one silver lining to hold to: Moses Moody is still around.
That may seem like a feeble attempt to turn attention away from the Warriors once again missing out on a big-name star. From Lauri Markkanen and Paul George to Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James is merely the latest in a long list of failures from this front office to land a difference-making star to pair with Stephen Curry.
LeBron James spurned the Warriors
Jimmy Butler is the one such player the team did land, and he will miss most of the season rehabbing from a torn ACL. In the meantime, Curry is 38 years old, Draymond Green is 36, and the window is quickly closing for the dynasty. In truth, it has only been cracked for some time now.
LeBron would not have suddenly solved all of their problems, and perhaps he understood that. He is in for a rude awakening if he thinks there won't be massive problems in Philadelphia, but he has made his choice. Now the Warriors pivot to their next step.
While that failure may sting, it also comes with a benefit. The pathway to adding LeBron for the Warriors was always built around offering him more than the minimum; that is why Draymond has been hanging in limbo after declining his player option, and it is likely why the Warriors did not match Quinten Post's offer sheet in restricted free agency.
The final step on that path was finding a team to take on Moses Moody, likely needing to attach a draft pick to his contract for another team to take him in. For a player as useful as Moody, that would have been selling extremely low.
Moses Moody is a silver lining
Keeping Moody is perhaps not the titanic silver lining some would hope for, but it's absolutely a positive. The 6'5" wing feels like he has been around forever, but he only just turned 24 years old. And while he will miss at least the first few months of the season rehabbing a torn patellar tendon, his long-term future with the Warriors is still bright.
He has grown into a knockdown 3-point shooter, hitting 40.1 percent of his 6.3 attempts last season. 56 players shot at least six 3-pointers per game last season, and of those players, Moody's 40.1 percent ranked 12th -- just ahead of Stephen Curry's 39.3 percent, in fact. His shooting volume and accuracy are real weapons for the Warriors.
Where Moody butters his bread, however, is on the defensive end. His defensive metrics are consistently strong, as he can defend multiple positions and makes an impact both on-the-ball and in help defense. He may not have the pure strength to switch onto bigs, but his 7'1" wingspan and quick movements are a help to any lineup.
Moody's versatility to play multiple positions and thrive off the ball is a boon to any team, and the Warriors need him. He is a player worth more than his $12.5 million contract this year, but the combination of his injury and the Warriors' desperation was turning him into a negative asset on the trade market.
With the pressure off, the Warriors can now wait for Moody to get healthy and rejoin the lineup. As he proves his health and shakes off the rust, he will be a valuable rotation piece -- and even starter -- for Golden State. And next summer, the Warriors can trade him at the peak of his value instead of the valley, or they can keep an elite role player around as they continue to maximize what remains of Curry's prime.
Trading Moody now would have been painful. Keeping him around is a clear positive for the team.
Soon the sable cloud of LeBron's decision will turn forth a silver lining: Moses Moody, in a Warriors jersey once more.
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