Last-Minute Golden State Warriors Trade Ideas To Salvage NBA Trade Deadline Nightmare

On Wednesday night, news broke of a trade involving the Golden State Warriors, but it wasn't the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal many Golden State Warriors fans were looking for.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga are headed to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis.

Now, three or four years ago, KP landing on a team with Stephen Curry would've been pretty interesting, but he's 30 now. He hasn't played in more than 57 games in a season since 2022-23.

He's been limited to 17 appearances in this campaign, and he was recently diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (or POTS), a condition that seems to make his availability from night to night a total shot in the dark.

Not only does this move not make the Warriors a contender right now, it cost them one of their only intriguing(ish) young assets in Kuminga.

For an organization and fan base that grew accustom to almost constant contention in the mid 2010s and early 2020s, this deal might feel like a borderline disaster.

But there's still time to salvage this deadline, assuming they can make one of these three trades before the deadline.

The Trey Murphy Deal

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Draymond Green, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2032 first-round pick swap for Trey Murphy III

If the Porziņģis trade signals the end of Golden State's pursuit of Giannis, as Marc Stein suggested it might, the Warriors could repurpose some of the assets they were going to include in that offer to go after a lesser star.

And though the New Orleans Pelicans have, at least publicly, seemed to hesitant to move Trey Murphy III, Golden State can offer enough to test their resilience on that front.

Draymond Green's contract is two years shorter than Murphy's, so he provides a little cap flexibility. He might also generate some trade interest from contenders next season, so the return on this deal could have a cascading effect.

But of course, that's really the secondary benefit of this deal. More important than getting Green, this package gives New Orleans a pick in the loaded 2026 draft the Pelicans infamously traded out of last summer. Even with Murphy on the books, there's no guarantee that pick wouldn't sneak into the lottery. And the 2028 and 2032 picks are more valuable than that. The further out they get, the more likely they'll convey after Stephen Curry's retirement.

The Pelicans want a massive haul for Murphy, and even after Wednesday's trade, Golden State can offer one.

The Michael Porter Jr. Deal

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Jimmy Butler, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick for Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann

If the Pelicans won't give up Murphy or Golden State can't stomach moving lifelong Warrior Draymond, Michael Porter Jr. should be another target.

Golden State has suggested that it doesn't want to include Jimmy Butler's contract in any trades, but having a $54 million salary slot on the books and giving you nothing is far from ideal for a team whose best player is 37.

The Warriors can't really afford a gap year, and they can make some pretty enticing offers by attaching some draft picks to Butler's deal.

This particular trade gives them one of this season's best volume scorers in Michael Porter Jr., and another potential rotation player, to boot.

For the Brooklyn Nets, meanwhile, this deal makes them worse this season (good for draft lottery odds), gives them some post-Curry first-round picks and gives them a contract that could be movable between now and 2027.

One Last Pitch for Giannis

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Jimmy Butler, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick (if 1-20), a 2031 first-round pick swap and a 2032 first-round pick for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Stein is probably right. Wednesday's deal involving Porziņģis, Kuminga and Hield may well have ended the Warriors' pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But we've seen crazier things happen in the NBA. Just last year, we got the Luka Dončić trade.

And the Milwaukee Bucks accepting Jimmy Butler's contract, four first-round picks and one first-round pick swap (some of which will convey after Curry retires) for Giannis wouldn't be any more shocking than that.

It's reasonable to value those far-flung Golden State picks more than firsts from other organizations. And, as has already been pointed out, Butler's contract could be traded again next year, meaning this return could get even bigger.

There's at least a chance other suitors wouldn't be willing to top this.

And if that chance came through for the Warriors, a Curry-Giannis pairing would make Golden State a bona fide contender, even in the West.