Almost everyone outside Stephen Curry could find themselves in trade speculation for the Golden State Warriors over the coming weeks, with the franchise expected to make another move prior to the February 6 deadline.
The Warriors have a number of young players they could use in trade scenarios, most notably Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski who are widely viewed as the two most talented pieces on the roster.
Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis is reportedly drawing trade interest
Kuminga and Podziemski aren't the only young players rival teams may have interest in though, with Trayce Jackson-Davis also drawing outside interest amid a recent return to Steve Kerr's starting lineup.
"Trayce Jackson-Davis is someone that's got a lot of external interest when the Warriors have spoken to other teams around the NBA," NBA insider Jake Fischer said on Bleacher Report on Friday.
Despite starting the first 17 games of the season, Jackson-Davis had an underwhelming beginning after such an impressive rookie year where he finished 11th in All-Rookie Team voting and therefore just missed out on a spot on Second Team honors.
After a period of losing his starting role and seeing his minutes diminish -- including a DNP against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 8 -- Jackson-Davis has returned with a vengeance and has been one of Golden State's only positives over the past four games.
The 24-year-old has averaged 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks on 69.4% shooting over the past four games, including going for 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals against the L.A. Clippers on Friday night.
While rival interest in Jackson-Davis may be somewhat surprising on the surface, his incredibly team-friendly contract is an obvious factor in why teams would want to trade for him. As the 57th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Jackson-Davis is in the second of a four-year, $7.6 million contract that includes a team option on the final season.
In the current era of punitive first and second tax aprons, having a rotation player on such a cheap contract is incredibly valuable, let alone a player who can actually start for you. On the contrary, it's for that reason that the Warriors will find it difficult to move Jackson-Davis unless there's another significant salary involved.
The other factor is that if Jackson-Davis is involved in a trade, Golden State would almost assuredly need to get another center (and preferably a starting calibre one) in return given that Kevon Looney is the only other legitimate big man on the main roster.