The 2022-23 Golden State Warriors season was supposed to be a triumphant title defense that hopefully ends with the franchise’s fifth NBA championship in a decade. However, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare as the team is 8-9 and on the outside looking in on the play-in tournament right now. From both an on-court and off-court standpoint, a Warriors trade seems like a necessary move at this point to shake up the team on the floor and in the locker room. At this point, the most realistic Warriors trade target should be Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, and they should consider sending out Draymond Green in the process.
John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks
The Warriors trade that is most realistic and needs to happen for the team is shipping out Draymond Green and Moses Moody for Hawks forward John Collins.
First of all, it is no secret that Collins is on the trade block right now. The 6-foot-9, 25-year-old star is having the worst season of his career to this point in the 2022-23 season. He is averaging career lows in points (12.4), assists (1.1), 3-point percentage (23.4%), and field goal percentage (49.3%). This tough start applies to advanced statistics as well. Collins is also posting the lowest usage rate (16.0), win share (1.0), PER (13.1), and VORP (0.1) of his five-plus-year career.
While Collins is struggling, a change of scenery could do him a world of good. He’s never been the best fit with Trae Young, and the emergence of big young Hawks like Onyeka Okongwu, De’Andre Hunter, and rookie AJ Griffin has rendered the star surplus to requirements.
That said, when Collins is right, he’s a valuable player. His career averages are 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range.
It’s easy to see his numbers coming back up to those levels or even exceeding them in a ball-movement-based offense like the one the Warriors run. With Stephen Curry as his point guard — as opposed to Young — Collins could become the elite rim-runner and finisher he’s been projected as early in his career.
What makes this a realistic Warriors trade is that giving up Draymond Green and Moses Moody for John Collins makes a lot of sense and would even be addition by subtraction on a certain level.
Green has been the heart and soul of the Warriors during their dynastic run over the last ¾ of a decade. However, with his skills diminishing and younger players nipping at his heels, the loud-mouthed forward is providing diminishing returns this Warriors season.
Unlike Collins, all of Green’s numbers have been slowly trending down since season in 2017-18. Plus, there is the elephant in the room.
The Warriors have always been known for their superb chemistry. That seems to have changed in the preseason when Green viciously sucker-punched Jordan Poole. The exulted leader is now a locker room problem, and Golden State will be better without him this year.
As for Moody, the Warriors are sitting on a stockpile of promising youngsters, and simply don’t have the minutes for all of them. With Poole, Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and James Wiseman all 23 and under and looking for minutes, they simply cannot all play.
Moody is only averaging 15.1 minutes this season, and head coach Steve Kerr admits that it’s more of a number thing than anything,” per NBC Sports.
Wiseman is playing even fewer minutes than Moody and is a more highly-drafted player. However, with Onyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela entrenched at the center position, taking a flyer on a 6-foot-6, 3-and-D wing like Moody makes more sense for Atlanta at this point.
And, frankly, Green needs a change of scenery, too. It seems like his brand of tough-love leadership has worn thin in the Bay Area, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work anywhere. The Hawks currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference. They are primed for a season-long battle with more experienced and tougher-minded teams like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. Draymond Green could be a real asset for Young and company as the season goes along and into the playoffs.
So, there it is. A Draymond Green and Moses Moody for John Collins Warriors trade is the realistic deal the team needs to execute a month into the 2022-23 campaign. It will not only give the Warriors season a boost, but it will also help both teams, which is why this could happen and isn’t just a pipe dream.
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