The Golden State Warriors defense of their 2022 Finals victory hasn't exactly gone according to plan. They have just a 14-15 record, and haven't looked anything like the team that coasted through the playoffs last season to win their fourth title in the past eight seasons. It's become pretty clear early on that this team will need some help if they want to reach the same heights they hit last season.

Through their first 29 games, it's become strikingly obvious that Stephen Curry is the only thing that has kept the Warriors afloat. He's not getting a ton of help on offense, and Golden State's defense, which was so good in the postseason last year, hasn't looked anything like it did last season.

The Warriors are in rough shape, and things could get even worse depending on what happens with Curry's recent shoulder injury. Golden State is going to have to improve their roster somehow, and the easiest way to do so midway through the season would be by swinging some trades. While the trade deadline is still far away, let's take a look at a couple of early predictions for Golden State's activity at the deadline.

2. Warriors trade James Wiseman

Despite Golden State's glaring need for help at the center position, James Wiseman has become an afterthought for the Warriors recently. He lost his spot in the rotation fairly early into the season thanks to some truly poor play, and has been spending most of his time over the past month with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's G-League affiliate.

This isn't what the Warriors had hoped would happen with Wiseman, who the team took with the second overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Wiseman missed the entire 2021-22 season, and the hope was that he could return to the court and offer another element to Golden State on both sides of the ball. Instead, he's been a massive disappointment for them.

In a sense, it's better that Wiseman is actually getting playtime in the G-League, but he's not really going to get any better playing against lower level competition. Wiseman's ceiling is incredibly high, but as of right now, the Warriors don't really seem to have any sort of intention of giving him minutes in an effort to develop their young center.

For that reason, moving on from Wiseman makes a lot of sense. They could get a veteran back from a rebuilding team in exchange for a player who has the potential to be a dominant two-way center. He doesn't seem likely to hit those heights with the Warriors, and if they want to maximize their shrinking championship window, it makes sense to move Wiseman while he still has value in an effort to improve their roster.

1. Warriors make a move for Jakob Poeltl

Unloading players isn't the only thing the Warriors need to do at the deadline, because it's clear their rotation needs some help. They have a couple of holes that could use fixing, but piggybacking off of the Wiseman dilemma, it makes a lot of sense for Golden State to be one of the many teams interested in San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl.

The Spurs are rebuilding, and seem likely to move on from their best asset in Poeltl at some point this season. Poeltl isn't a game-changing center, but he does his job on both sides of the ball (12.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 64 FG%) and is exactly the type of player Golden State could use to help make Curry's life a little bit easier.

Right now, it's a struggle for the Warriors to create offense outside of Curry. Having easy buckets in the paint, which is exactly what Poeltl scores, is something that isn't really present in their rotation. Kevon Looney is a solid center, but he's not a starting caliber guy, and while he can hold down the fort in that role, it's become clear that his limitations make him a much better option to bring in off the bench.

Poeltl is also a strong interior defender, and while his numbers this season aren't great, he's not getting much help from the rest of his Spurs teammates. Again, Poeltl isn't the greatest defender ever, but having an anchor in the paint on both sides of the ball who can score efficiently and rebound well is exactly what the Warriors need.

The Spurs are going to have a lot of suitors for Poeltl, which makes sense. But the Warriors have assets to move; heck, they could even throw Wiseman into a deal for Poeltl, as San Antonio has a lot more minutes for the young center than Golden State does. Adding NBA level talent is going to be crucial for Golden State, which is why a trade for Poeltl makes a lot of sense for the Warriors at the trade deadline.