Decisions the Warriors Should Already Regret from the Trade Deadline
There is a universe in which the Golden State Warriors were among the most aggressive buyers at this season's NBA trade deadline.
Obviously, it's not the world we're living in.
Here, the Dubs effectively snoozed through the deadline, brokering just a single, financially motivated deal that sent out Cory Joseph and didn't deliver a player back.
That's fine if the next new months prove the Warriors have everything they need to make playoff noise. If they wind up being just as inconsistent as they've been all season, though, they could wind up regretting the following three deadline decisions.
Not Getting Bigger
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If the Warriors can somehow plot a path to an incredible championship run, they'll have to overcome some super-sized obstacles along the way. Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kristaps Porziņģis and Joel Embiid are among the potential Goliaths standing in their way.
Because Golden State left this frontcourt untouched at the deadline, it essentially has no means to match this size.
The tallest player on the roster is Dario Šarić, a finesse big who packs just 225 pounds on his 6'10" frame. The closest this club has to a traditional center is Kevon Looney, a 6'9" veteran having one of the worst seasons of his career.
The bounciest big is Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 6'9" rookie who has yet to handle a regular rotation spot. Perhaps the best center is Draymond Green, who's a master at playing bigger than his size but still checks in at just 6'6" and 230 pounds.
If Golden State squares off with a star center at any point during the upcoming postseason, it will almost certainly be at a size disadvantage. A single deadline deal for size would have gone a long way toward alleviating that concern.
Not Flipping Moses Moody for a Rotation Player
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This is Moses Moody's third season in Golden State. He still isn't a rotation regular.
For whatever reason, coach Steve Kerr always seems to prefer a different perimeter option. Moody generally produces when he plays, but nothing has permanently entrenched his spot with the squad.
At this point, it's hard to tell what—if anything—the Warriors are waiting for. If they don't have a place for him in the rotation, they should have swapped him out for someone with an actual chance of finding consistent floor time.
Moody, the No. 14 pick in 2021, shouldn't have been tricky to shop around. He is a 21-year-old who has already contributed to a championship run and looks perfectly equipped to handle a three-and-D role—just not in Golden State, apparently.
Risking a Year of Stephen Curry's Prime
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Because Stephen Curry's game was never built around jaw-dropping athleticism, it's built to age better than most.
That doesn't mean it can buck the aging curve forever, though. Ahead of his 10th All-Star appearance, Curry told ESPN's Malika Andrews the honor was a reminder that "this isn't going to be around forever."
Curry, who turns 36 in March, still seems capable of quarterbacking a championship run. He isn't even two calendar years removed from doing exactly that. He needs the right roster around him, though, and nothing from the first four-plus months of this season would suggest Golden State has provided him with that.
The Warriors flashed a few encouraging signs of late, but on balance, this has been a disappointing team creating more questions than answers. The deadline gave this group a chance to potentially find some solutions, but the front office either didn't explore them or couldn't afford them.
Either way, one can only hope the Dubs didn't just spoil one of the few remaining prime players of their once-in-a-lifetime talent.
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