With trade speculation heating up surrounding the Golden State Warriors ahead of the February 6 deadline, much of the focus is centered on which players could join or depart the franchise over the next week.
The Warriors have been strongly linked to multi-time All-Stars Jimmy Butler or Zach LaVine, while they also continue to mull a move for the latter's Chicago Bulls teammate in Nikola Vucevic.
A deal for either of the three players would likely require the Warriors to give up a minimum of three players, with Andrew Wiggins and the mid-tier contracts of Dennis Schroder, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield all a chance to be included in a trade before the deadline.
The Warriors 2025 first-round pick could unlock a trade with the Bulls
Something that's been less discussed is the draft capital Golden State would need to relinquish in a trade for Butler, LaVine or Vucevic. Jonathan Kuminga has been labelled as "essentially off the table for any deal involving Butler or LaVine" (and obviously Vucevic) in a report from The Athletic on Wednesday, while you can imagine the same will extend to last year's All-Rookie First Team member Brandin Podziemski.
Moses Moody is on a poison pill contract which makes him hard to move, and Trayce Jackson-Davis makes just $1.8 million which subsequently means little from a salary-matching standpoint. It's therefore unlikely that any of these four young players are moved, at least not for the players the Warriors have been linked to.
One interesting tidbit from The Athletic's report is that Golden State are preparing to offer a protected version of this year's first-round pick, having already gone without their selection in 2024.
"As conversations increase in advance of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors have floated a protected version of their 2025 first-round pick around the NBA as a potential sweetener if the right deal were to materialize," Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II wrote.
This could unlock a deal, most notably with the Bulls who are pursuing a first-round pick in exchange for Vucevic who's averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds so far this season. The Warriors are only willing to offer second-round draft capital at this stage, but perhaps the two sides come together on a deal that includes this year's first-round pick as lottery protected, but that turns into a second-round pick or two if it doesn't convey.
Perhaps a far less protected version of the pick could entice Chicago to give up LaVine, particularly if the Bulls believe the Warriors are already too far down the standings to mount a run to the playoffs, even with LaVine on the roster.
Either way, Golden State's 2025 first-round pick figures to be an important factor in negotiations over the next week, especially given they're still 11th in the Western Conference despite an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.