While most of the attention has been focused on Brandin Podziemski in the wake of the Golden State Warriors’ unsuccessful trade attempt to acquire Lauri Markkanen, there is another young player whose future with the team appears to be in jeopardy.
The Warriors’ offer for Markkanen, which was first reported weeks ago, was still centered around Moses Moody and a large haul of future draft assets, according to The Athletic’s story on Tuesday. In light of the fact that the Jazz and Markkanen are anticipated to renew their commitment to one another and that Golden State has demonstrated its belief in Podziemski’s potential going forward, what does this mean for Moody, the third and less talked about aspect of this situation?
The readiness of the Golden State Warriors to let go of Moses According to Moody, he might yet be traded before the upcoming season.
Moody has frequently been commended for his maturity and wisdom beyond his years; he frequently accepts failures in his career and always stands ready when Steve Kerr calls on him. But eventually, the mix of an uneven role and constant trade rumors surrounding eligibility for extensions must take a toll, right?
How is that not possible? If these reports are true, it appears that your company does not consider you to be an essential component of their plans. You could counter that’s just a part of being an NBA player, but when your team clearly views you far differently than your younger colleagues, it has to matter.
A player riding the ups and downs of an inconsistent role and trading rumors for this long is also unjust and odd. The journey should eventually come to an end, at which point you should be able to hop off and start over with a team that is more eager to offer a more direct route to success for each individual.
At this point, Golden State almost owes Moody that. They still think highly of him and won’t trade him for nothing, but they’ve waited far too long, and as a result, his trade value has decreased due to a lack of playing time.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Warriors are “expected to explore smaller-scale deals more actively than is typical in August and September.” Moody, Gary Payton II, and Kevon Looney are three players for Golden State whose combined salaries have the potential to get them close to a $20 million player.
It’s possible that Moody still has enough value for the Warriors to acquire a player later in the offseason. If so, this could create a win-win situation in which both teams achieve their goals in the trade and the 22-year-old is given the chance to develop as he deserves.
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