Twelve months ago to the day, the Golden State Warriors pulled off a savvy maneuver that turned a little-known CBA rule into a major roster chess move. They acquired Dennis Schroder, only to flip him again in the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade at the February deadline. That kind of transactional flexibility caught the league’s attention-and now, with the same window open again, teams are watching closely to see who might follow the Warriors’ blueprint.
But don’t expect Golden State to run it back this time around.
Their hands are tied in a way that wasn’t the case last year, and a big reason why is the ongoing ripple effect of Jonathan Kuminga’s free agency. His situation didn’t just delay his own trade eligibility until January 15-it also jammed up the Warriors’ ability to move other recently signed players.
Here’s the issue: under current CBA rules, a player must be under contract for three months before they’re eligible to be traded. Because Golden State signed Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II just ahead of the season, that clock is still ticking. None of those three can be moved until early next month, which means the Warriors are boxed out of the kind of pre-deadline flexibility they had last year with Schroder and Melton.
Let’s say, hypothetically, the Warriors wanted to package Gary Payton II and some draft capital for a young two-way wing like Keon Ellis. That deal’s off the table-for now. Or if they wanted to use Horford’s salary to facilitate a larger trade, especially given his limited impact and current injury status, they’re similarly out of luck.
That doesn’t mean Golden State is completely sidelined. The front office still has a few movable pieces if they wanted to shake things up in the next 24 hours.
Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski are all eligible to be traded. Even bigger names like Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green could technically be moved, though that’s far more unlikely given their roles and contracts.
The reality, though, is that the Warriors are unlikely to make a major move right now. With Kuminga’s eligibility date looming and key rotation players still locked in due to timing, the franchise is more likely to keep evaluating its current roster and the broader trade landscape. Once the calendar flips and those restrictions lift, the Warriors will be in a much better position to make something happen-especially if the season hasn’t turned the corner by then.
Until that window opens, patience-not panic-will likely be the name of the game in the Bay.