Subscribe
Follow Us
Stephen Curry has been, and continues to be, the face of the Golden State Warriors. Even with Klay Thompson departing the franchise after 13 years and four championships, the Warriors are still moving forward with a championship mentality because of Curry's heroics. At the same time, the organization is also keeping a close eye on their youthful core, highlighted by Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, to lead them into a successful future once Curry and Draymond Green retire. A new era of Warriors basketball is slowly being ushered in, yet there are still some major questions surrounding what direction this team is going.
Who exactly are the Warriors right now?
This is a question many around the NBA are asking ahead of the 2024-25 season after Golden State missed the playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons. The fact that the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals and their fourth title since 2015 masks the idea that this organization has stalled in recent seasons.
After a string of five straight seasons with 50 or more wins, including their historic 73-9 regular-season record during the 2015-16 campaign, the Warriors have put together just one 50-win season over the last five seasons. A 46-36 record this past year resulted in this group missing the playoffs via the play-in tournament, leading to the big question of where they go from here.
Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson are all experienced, veteran options that the Warriors signed in free agency, but the bottom line is that the youth of this roster presents the path forward. Whether or not the Warriors utilize their recent draft picks or leverage them will paint the picture for what this franchise will look like over the next decade.
Kuminga has been arguably the biggest success story to this point for Golden State as far as development goes. When Kuminga entered the league as the 7th overall pick in 2021, he was nothing more than a lengthy, agile forward that had a ton of potential to grow on the wing. Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the 21-year-old may just be the team's third-most important player behind Curry and Green, especially after averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last year.
The Warriors held Kuminga out of trade talks this offseason, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints, and there is no reason to believe that he is not in the organization's long-term plans. Then again, the young forward is entering the final year of his rookie contract. With a contract extension decision looming, the Warriors also face similar discussions with Moody.
Just seven picks after taking Kuminga in 2021, the Warriors selected Moody with the 14th overall pick. Despite not seeing as many minutes as Kuminga early on in his career, Moody has been nothing short of dependable for the Warriors. Whenever his number is called, the wing is ready to step up off the bench. Every team is always looking for 3-and-D players who still have room to grow, which is where Moody can bring value.
If money was of no concern, then the Warriors would simply keep both players on new, long-term contracts. However, Golden State worked hard to revamp their roster and navigate the tax lines for the 2024-25 season after owning the highest tax bills in league history. Extending both Kuminga and Moody, especially before the season, throws this organization into the same problems they have faced over the last decade from a financial perspective.
With the 2024-25 NBA season right around the corner, the biggest question surrounding the Warriors is not necessarily about how they will look without Thompson, but what they decide to do with both Kuminga and Moody with an important deadline date approaching.
Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody extension situations
The Warriors are focused on winning and capitalizing on however many years they have left with Curry and Green. After Curry recently received a $62.6 million contract extension upon returning from the Olympics, he is now under contract for three more seasons alongside Green. What the rest of this roster will look like during this timeline is a big mystery.
This offseason has been a whirlwind for the Warriors. Aside from losing Thompson, Golden State struck out twice while trying to trade for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. The common denominator in both trade discussions was that the Warriors weren't ready to give up on their youth and future assets. More specifically, they weren't willing to trade Kuminga in a deal for George, and Brandin Podziemski was held out of conversations for Markkanen.
There are no guarantees that including either young talent would've completed a trade, but the overarching theme is that the Warriors believe in what they have built through the draft. Do the Warriors actually believe in their young core enough to give them four, maybe five-year contract extensions?
If the Warriors opt not to give either Kuminga or Moody an extension before the October 21 deadline, then both players will be entering the 2024-25 season staring down restricted free agency next summer. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, as many fourth-year players end up becoming restricted free agents as they look to increase their value, the Warriors' situation is slightly different because they may be forced to choose between their two forwards.
Kuminga obviously looks like the better overall player at this juncture given how the Warriors use him, but Moody has always been a consistent talent on the wing that would come at a much cheaper price. That is going to be the biggest discussion regarding both players — what price the organization is willing to pay to try and keep them.
As a result of the steady increase in production and role, Kuminga's value is at an all-time high. While his camp is likely going to push for the full max rookie extension, the same five-year, $225 million extension that Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner just received, the Warriors will likely be looking in the ballpark of $140 million to $155 million, sources said. For example, Jaden McDaniels received a five-year, $131 million extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023, a deal that the Warriors are certainly cognizant of pertaining to Kuminga's comparison.
At the same time, with the money and revenue streams across the league increasing, it would make sense for Kuminga's deal to surpass this recent extension that McDaniels got.
Much like how conversations began last offseason with Klay and the Warriors, there isn't expected to be much traction on getting a new deal done right now. Kuminga and his camp are going to be pushing for a deal that pays no less than $30 million per season, league sources said, whereas the Warriors would much rather hold out and see how the young forward impacts the team during the 2024-25 season. Nonetheless, the team still values Kuminga as one of their top players, and he will undoubtedly be in the starting rotation once again.
Then there is Moody, who is also eligible for a rookie scale contract extension. If Kuminga isn't going to get a new deal right now, there really isn't much to discuss pertaining to the Warriors keeping Moody. The 22-year-old has been involved in trade talks throughout the summer, and the Warriors do have a logjam of talent at the shooting guard and small forward positions right now.
In addition to having Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors now have Hield, Melton, and Anderson. All three new additions will be seeing substantial minutes, which once again raises questions about how much of a role and impact Moody will have during the 2024-25 season.
There are only so many minutes, and as a result, Moody has been the one to reside on the bench throughout the early portion of his career. While there is certainly potential for him to grow into a key contributor either in or out of the starting unit, Moody's best chance to find success would be with another team besides Golden State. It would come as a shock to many if he was to receive an extension prior to the Oct. 21 deadline.
Futures of Kuminga, Moody
Kuminga and Moody are both players that the Warriors value and want to see on their roster moving forward. Unfortunately, the NBA is a business, and financial decisions always trump decisions made from the heart.
The bottom line pertaining to these two 2021 first-round picks is that the Warriors can't afford them both, and the organization as a whole is prioritizing a win-now mentality. That is why the overwhelming belief among league circles is that Kuminga and Moody won't receive extensions by the start of the new season. Not only does this create an opportunity for the Warriors to evaluate where they are after the season before negotiating new deals, but it also leaves the door ajar for a potential big trade in the middle of the year.
Adding an All-Star-level talent this offseason was at the top of the Warriors' wish list. Even though trades for Markkanen and George fell through, Golden State's front office has sent a clear message to the rest of the league that they are going to be gunning after top-tier talent in order to try and win a fifth championship with Curry leading the charge.
The future is always unpredictable, and it is always hard to conclusively state which stars will become available in trade talks. Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine are two proven All-Stars on the trade block, but neither player is of interest to the Warriors at this time. Superstars like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have long been listed as potential targets for the Warriors down the road. Neither MVP appears to be trending towards leaving their current team in the Eastern Conference.
Regardless of who could become available and who the Warriors could pursue between now and the trade deadline, a decision not to extend the contracts of Kuminga or Moody allows the organization to still utilize them in trade discussions. As much as Golden State loves both players, there is always a path to one or both of them being on the move in a trade at the right moment. Markkanen made the most sense for the Warriors from an age and skill standpoint, but his recent extension with the Utah Jazz essentially moves him off the Warriors' target list since he couldn't be moved until next summer.
The Warriors have shown that they are willing to move Moody after including him in trade discussions this offseason. The same can't be said about Kuminga. That right there should give a glimpse as to what the future holds for both players, inching closer to the 2024-25 season.
This year is going to be all about evaluation for the Warriors. Whether or not extensions are given to Kuminga or Moody next offseason will be influenced by their roles and how they perform this upcoming season. At the same time, the Warriors will constantly be evaluating themselves after every game in order to find out if they need to make a substantial move at the trade deadline to be legitimate contenders in the Western Conference.
With all of the unknowns this organization faces right now, Kuminga and Moody tend to stand out as the dominoes that will set the course of Golden State for years to come.
