If the Golden State Warriors decide to swing a trade, the value they can put on the table starts with a simple reality: they don’t have much young talent to lean on. That makes their draft capital the real currency, and it pushes their most movable pieces into a pretty clear order.
Stephen Curry, even at 38, would still be the prize of the group in a pure trade-value sense. He’d fetch a better mix of picks and players than anyone else on the roster. But the Warriors have essentially made it clear they aren’t moving him unless he asks out, so he’s not part of the ranking.
That leaves a draft-pick-heavy list, with the Warriors’ own future first-rounders carrying a lot of weight. The team is expected to be past the Curry era in 2032, and there’s a real chance the bottom falls out then, even if Joe Lacob is determined to keep that from happening. For now, though, the Warriors seem locked into trying to contend for at least the next two seasons, which makes some of these picks more complicated than they look on paper.
The 2029-30 first-rounder stands out because Curry will be 41 when that season begins. That alone points toward a top-20 selection. There’s one wrinkle that would make the pick even juicier - if the team trading for it also got a 2031 first-rounder when the 2030 pick landed in the 21-30 range - but in this breakdown, the pick either conveys in the top 20 or nothing happens.
The 2030 to 2033 range is even murkier, though those picks are still more likely to land outside the lottery than the Warriors’ own earlier selections. Last year, the team said it was committed to contending and still finished 37-45, which is exactly why those future picks carry real intrigue even if Golden State is trying to stay afloat.
There’s also the 2027-30 stretch, which some teams would argue makes an unprotected first-round pick more valuable. But the case here is that Lendeborg could be worth more because of the kind of player he is and where he’s headed.
He’ll be 24 when he reaches the NBA, so teams will wonder how much developmental upside is left. That means his first NBA impressions matter a lot.
Still, the projection is that he outplays the usual return for an 11th pick and becomes especially appealing to contenders that want size and two-way production. If he hits right away, he’d also be cheap: his rookie deal is worth $28.1 million over four years.
Brandin Podziemski brings a different kind of value. The Warriors have to decide whether to extend his contract in the eligible window that ends on the eve of the regular season.
If they do, trading him gets much harder because of the CBA’s Poison Pill Provision. If they don’t, he becomes a much more interesting trade chip.
Podziemski gives teams shooting, rebounding and team defense. The concern is that he’s not a dynamic on-ball creator and he doesn’t have the athletic tools to handle the best ball-handlers. That divide is exactly why some teams may not value him highly, while others could look at him and see a player they can use restricted free agency on to land at a bargain price.
The same kind of team-dependent logic applies to swap rights. A title contender could see a swap with the Warriors as almost as valuable as an unprotected first-round pick, since moving from the high 20s to something much better can be a major win. A rebuilding team, on the other hand, would not view those rights nearly as highly.
Santos rounds out the group, and his contract is part of the appeal. He’s set to make $4.6 million this season and $5 million next season before a $5.4 million player option kicks in. Nearly every team would want his mix of positional size, scoring and hustle off the bench, and that deal should look like a bargain over the next two seasons.
In Other News...
Warriors Face A Huge Curry Question With Jimmy Butler On The Table
A fresh Warriors offseason idea has Stephen Curry at the center of the conversation again, with one proposal imagining Golden State using Jimmy Butler as the headline piece in a bigger reset. The concept is simple enough on paper: the Warriors would be trying to get better aligned around Curry while also addressing their salary picture, and the New Orleans side would be looking at a different kind of return as it continues sorting through a rebuild.
What makes the framework intriguing is the mix of urgency and uncertainty on both sides. Butlers expiring deal gives Golden State a movable veteran contract, while Zion Williamson brings star power with all the familiar health questions that come with him. For the Warriors, the appeal is obvious enough, but the real issue is whether a Curry-centered roster can absorb that kind of swing without losing the stability they still need. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A Costly Choice After Another Star Chase Failed
Golden States next big roster move may come down to a familiar kind of gamble: push chips in now, or save the flexibility for later. With expiring deals and draft capital at their disposal, the Warriors have to decide whether to chase help before the February trade deadline or keep their cap space intact for a free-agent market that has not exactly rewarded them in recent years.
ESPNs Brian Windhorst recently suggested the safer play might actually be the bolder one, especially after the Warriors inability to land a star like LeBron James. The pressure only grows because the roster contains veteran pieces such as Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, and Golden States direction could hinge on how the season unfolds and which trade options are realistically available when the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Steph Curry Just Sent Warriors Fans A Powerful Reminder
Stephen Currys summer has carried two very different storylines for Warriors fans to hold at once. On one hand, he is reportedly close to working out a contract extension with Golden State, and the team is ready to put a deal on the table within the NBAs age-related contract rules. On the other, there is still the reality of a knee issue from last season that has to be managed, even as Curry and his trainers have put strategies in place to deal with it.
So when a video of Curry burying 82 consecutive three-pointers started making the rounds, it served as a familiar reminder of why this conversation always circles back to the same place. The concern around his knee is real enough to matter, but the shot-making remains as absurd as ever, which is exactly why any extension talk feels so important for the Warriors right now. [Read more 🡒]