With the Golden State Warriors' blockbuster acquisition of star forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat, they have finally acquired a bona-fide number two scorer behind star guard Stephen Curry.
However, the multiple players the Warriors have given up in return for Butler leaves Moses Moody, the fourth-year wing, with a major opportunity to advance his spot in the rotation.
In the convoluted multi-team trade, Golden State have ultimately lost Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters III, severely depleting their bench and their rotation as a whole. Andrew Wiggins, who was the starting small forward, will be replaced by Butler, yet the losses of Anderson and Waters represent a sudden lack of players for the Warriors with Moody's skill-set -- a lengthy, shooting wing with strong defensive capabilities.
Moses Moody should see more opportunity following the Butler trade
Throughout the season, head coach Steve Kerr has often opted for a befuddling small-ball lineup during the team's bench minutes. Primarily as a result of Draymond Green's extended absence and the lack of consistent offensive production from centers Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney, Anderson and Moody were paired as quasi-big men to fill those minutes.
Now, with Wiggins and Anderson joining the Miami Heat, and Waters headed to the Detroit Pistons, Moody's responsibilities will amp up considerably. While this is offset somewhat by the emergence of floor-spacing center Quinten Post, Moody will need to play a variety of roles for the Warriors' bench to be truly successful.
Moody is averaging nine points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists through 42 games this season, shooting a career-best 40% on 3-point shots. It is likely that his minutes, which sit at 18.2 per game currently, could see a major jump.
If Moody is able to continue at his current pace, this could be a major boon for a Warriors team that desperately needs production from the back-end of its rotation. The Warriors have struggled from the 3-point line for much of the season, currently sitting at 13th in the league in 3-point percentage at 36.4%.
In a conceivable bench line-up of Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, Moody would take on many of the perimeter shooting responsibilities that would have typically fallen to Podziemski, who has looked better since his recent return from injury.
However, with the departure of Schroder, Podziemski will again be relied upon to be a primary ball-handler, and with the departure of Waters, the Warriors lack true shooting on the bench. In the event of another injury to Draymond Green, Kuminga could return to the starting lineup, forcing Moody into a forward role.
With either outcome, the Warriors have clearly signified their confidence in Moody who will should play a large part in the rotation for the rest of the season.