The Golden State Warriors may be one of the most successful franchises in the NBA at the moment, both on the court and on a commercial level, but that was not always the case. There's a huge reason why it took the Warriors 40 years to win another championship, as between 1975 to 2015, it seemed like the front office chose the wrong option every single time when it comes to the trades they made.
Even with the franchise's history of being poor traders, however, the Warriors have come out on top in plenty of trades before, some of which have even contributed to the team's rise to their current status as a powerhouse in the Western Conference. With that said, here are the 10 best trades in Warriors franchise history, ranked.
10. The forgotten Sixth Man (2012)
Warriors acquire Jarrett Jack in a three-team trade for Dorell Wright
Before the Warriors blossomed into the powerhouse we all have come to know them as, there were a few seasons in which they were a mid-level playoff team under the tutelage of head coach Mark Jackson. In fact, it was in 2012 when Stephen Curry and the Dubs began to burst onto the scene — with Jarrett Jack playing a huge role in helping them net the sixth seed in the conference.
Jack was a godsend for a Warriors team that didn't have much depth, combining with Carl Landry to form one of the best bench duos in the league during that time. He averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 assists in 79 games (four starts), and he shot 40.4 percent from deep during his lone season with the Warriors, helping them push the San Antonio Spurs to six games in the second round.
Alas, him playing just one year with the Warriors affects his placement on the rankings considerably.
9. Adding the finishing touches to “We Believe” (2007)
Warriors acquire Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson (and two others) from the Indiana Pacers for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy (and two others)
Spoiler alert: this won't be the first Troy Murphy appearance on this list. Perhaps the Warriors can sign Murphy today and involve him in whatever trade they can just to ensure that the deal works out in their favor.
Harrington and Jackson didn't exactly make the Warriors championship contenders, hence their ninth-placed finish on this list. But they were the perfect pieces for Don Nelson's system. Those two were skilled wings who had the size to deal with bigger players on the post all the while serving as reliable floor spacers — the perfect counterstrategy that led to the biggest 1-8 upset in NBA history.
8. The Warriors' first All-Star in 15 years has arrived (2010)
Warriors acquire David Lee in a sign-and-trade from the New York Knicks for Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelenna Azubuike
No diehard Warriors fan will ever forget what David Lee meant for the franchise in the early 2010s. Yes, he was never a terrific defender, but as an ambidextrous interior scorer, a strong screen-setter, and a resolute rebounder, he served as a solid complement for Stephen Curry for a few years.
Sure, he's now just a footnote in the Warriors' dynasty. His injury in 2014 opened up an opportunity for Draymond Green that Green would make the most of. But he helped the Dubs transition from a bad era of basketball, even making the All-Star team in 2013.
7. A substantial gamble (1980)
Warriors buy low on Bernard King from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Wayne Cooper and a second-round draft pick
In 1980, Bernard King was coming off a terrible season for the Jazz, thanks in large part to his struggles with substance abuse. Nevertheless, his on-court talent was never in question. So the Warriors saw it fit to trade away two forgettable players for King in hopes of facilitating a career revival.
King returned to form almost immediately for the Warriors, averaging 22.5 points in two seasons for the team. Alas, the Warriors' decision to trade King for Micheal Ray Richardson puts a damper on things, as Richardson went on to play just 33 games for the Warriors. Meanwhile, King blossomed into a 30+ points per game scorer with the Knicks.
6. We may not need you, but thanks for the assets anyway (2019)
Warriors end Kevin Durant era, trade KD to the Brooklyn Nets in a double sign-and-trade involving D'Angelo Russell, Shabazz Napier, and Treveon Graham
The Dubs could have lost Kevin Durant for nothing in free agency. But instead, the Nets needed to pull off a sign-and-trade because they wanted to offer DeAndre Jordan a huge contract as well, much to the Warriors' benefit.
D'Angelo Russell had some strong moments in a Warriors uniform, even dropping a career-high 52 points in November 2019. But his greatest contribution to the Warriors was playing at a high enough level that he ended up being a sought-after piece in another trade that will rank much higher on this list.
5. Acquiring the pillar of “We Believe” (2005)
Warriors acquire Baron Davis in a lopsided trade from the New Orleans Hornets for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis
The Warriors acquired Baron Davis, a player who averaged 20.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 2.0 steals in 3.5 seasons for the franchise, for two players who wouldn't exactly move the needle for the Hornets. A steal in every sense of the word, Davis was the 2007 Warriors' best player, etching his name into franchise lore for all eternity — especially after his thunderous facial over Andrei Kirilenko in the 2007 playoffs.
4. Getting a future Hall of Famer… for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric? (2011)
Warriors get a 2012 second-rounder that ended up being Draymond Green (and Troy Murphy) from the New Jersey Nets for Wright and Gadzuric
This was one of those trades that didn't really make that much of a dent when it was made. After all, trades involving Troy Murphy, Dan Gadzuric, and Brandan Wright will never move the championship needle. But lost in the shuffle of this inconsequential trade is the fact that the Dubs ended up acquiring the pick that would become Draymond Green in the process.
We all know how that turned out. Green became one of the best defensive players of all time, functioning as the perfect fit for the Warriors' system on both ends of the floor. There will be a spot for him in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame when all is said and done.
Alas, giving the Warriors too much credit for this trade is akin to giving too much credit to a serial gambler for finally winning a lottery ticket. Second-rounders change hands all the time in the NBA. More credit must go to the Warriors for drafting a future Hall of Famer with the pick instead.
3. Never beating the mole allegations (2013)
Warriors acquire dynasty pillar Andre Iguodala in a three-team sign-and-trade from the Denver Nuggets
Andre Iguodala would have joined the Warriors anyway one way or another, so it feels a bit unfair to give them more credit for this trade than the next entries on this list. Iguodala was enchanted by the Warriors during their playoff clash in 2013, which even led some to think that he was a mole for the Dubs from the Denver Nuggets locker room. It was only a matter of happenstance that the easiest way to bring Iguodala aboard was to pull off a sign-and-trade involving the bad contracts on the Warriors' books at the time.
Nevertheless, Iguodala became a legend for the franchise. He became one of the most valuable sixth men of all time, even winning Finals MVP in 2015.
2. Goodbye fit issues (2020)
Warriors acquire the stagnating Andrew Wiggins (as well as the pick that became Jonathan Kuminga) from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package headlined by D'Angelo Russell
The Warriors may have acquired D'Angelo Russell in the process of losing Kevin Durant, but that never meant that Russell was there to stay. Even with Klay Thompson out, it was clear that pairing Russell with Stephen Curry wasn't the best idea, as the Dubs needed some size on the wing to help compensate for Durant's departure.
It was a godsend then that the Timberwolves have just about had enough with Andrew Wiggins in 2020. Wiggins, whom many thought was destined to be the league's next big thing, wasn't playing up to his max contract. The Dubs then decided to gamble on Wiggins and see how much winning basketball they can squeeze out of him.
And what a worthwhile gamble it ended up being. Wiggins' numbers may be down across the board relative to his Timberwolves career, but he has blossomed into one of the best 3-and-D wings in the league. He was instrumental in the Warriors' championship victory in 2022, guarding everyone from Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, to Luka Doncic, and then Jayson Tatum in the NBA Finals.
But the trade doesn't end there. The Warriors also acquired the pick that became Jonathan Kuminga in the process — adding more fuel to the fire that this is one of the greatest trade steals of all time, not just in franchise history, but in league history as well.
1. Ending the Monta Ellis-Stephen Curry debate with authority (2012)
Warriors shockingly trade Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks for the injury-prone Andrew Bogut
Back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Monta Ellis blossomed into one of the most explosive scoring guards in the league for the Warriors. He was also a workhorse who routinely finished seasons on top of the minutes leaderboard — the star the team needed during a rough point in their franchise's history. In fact, it reached the point where fans were debating who the better player to keep was between him and Stephen Curry.
Thus, it came as a huge shock when the Warriors traded Ellis, who was just 26 years old at the time and was still in the prime of his career, for the injured Andrew Bogut. It was a huge show of confidence in Curry and Klay Thompson, two unproven snipers at the time, as Ellis' departure meant that the future of the franchise was in those two's hands.
It's safe to say that even the Warriors could not have foreseen just how instrumental this trade would prove to be. Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut would overcome their injury woes, Klay Thompson would become one of the greatest 3 and D stars of all time, and the Dubs would proceed to run roughshod over the league for most of the 2010s.
Without this huge gamble, the Warriors may never have made that leap in 2012, and for that reason alone, this leap of faith takes the cake for being one of the best trades in franchise history.
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