Ask anyone inside or outside the Golden State Warriors organization and they'll likely tell you that seeing Moses Moody depart the franchise this offseason would be an unfortunate and heartbreaking situation (in basketball terms).
Moody is beloved within the franchise, but the reality is that the Warriors may have to move on from the injured wing and trade him in order to accomodate LeBron James should he select them in free agency.
The promising news for Golden State is that it doesn't sound like they'd simply have to dump Moody's salary, rather there are teams interested in the 24-year-old despite his injury status and the chance that he misses the entirety of next season.
Warriors should be able to trade Moses Moody if they land LeBron
There was some initial skepticism over how easily the Warriors would be able to trade Moody and the two years remaining on his contract, but Tim Kawakami of the San Fransisco Standard doesn't believe the front office will have to attach any assets in a deal.
I went into the free-agent period believing the Warriors might have to attach future second-round picks to get off of Moody’s salary but have heard lately that there are teams expressing interest in him," Kawakami wrote.
Moody is owed $12.5 million next season and $13.4 million in 2027-28, giving a rebuilding team time for him to rehabilitate from his devastating torn patella tendon injury, then get at least one full season in before he's out of contract.
The former 14th overall pick enjoyed a career-best season until his gruesome injury in March, averaging a career-high 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal on 40.1% shooting from 3-point range.
Warriors could also get another player out of Moses Moody trade
The other intriguing aspect to this is whether the Warriors could actually get a player out of the trade, rather than simply get the entirety of Moody's money off the books. They could, for example, trade him (and potentially picks) for a player making around half his salary or less, depending on what James and Draymond Green are willing to take on their deals.
It would also be possible for Golden State to move Moody for a current free agent on a multi-year deal as a sign-and-trade, albeit it would require their previous team (or a third team) to have some interest in him.
It really sounds like it's going to come down to James. Moody's almost assuredly traded if the 4x MVP chooses to sign with the Warriors, but there's also a good chance he remains should James head back to the Cleveland Cavaliers or elsewhere.
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