Golden State Warriors: Key Trade Assets for 2023
The Golden State Warriors don’t have to wonder what rival front offices want. The calls are already coming in, and the wish list is brutally clear.
It doesn’t start with Stephen Curry. It can’t. His future is effectively off the market. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week, there is no real negotiation on his extension — just an organization willing to wait for a 38-year-old Curry to decide how long he wants to keep this thing going and on what terms.
Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody aren’t on the board either. Mike Dunleavy shut that down in August, saying neither will be available for the Oct. 21 opener and that there’s no timetable for either rehab. No games, no certainty, no trade value right now.
Strip all that away, and Golden State is left with three serious pieces other teams circle: Kristaps Porzingis and his contract, a stash of future first-round picks, and the rising guard everyone asks about first — Brandin Podziemski.
No. 3: Kristaps Porzingis and the Contract That Travels
Porzingis arrived in February from Atlanta in the Jonathan Kuminga deal, a midseason swing that never really had time to settle. He played just 32 games last season, only 15 of them in a Warriors uniform, averaging 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds.
In June, Golden State locked him into a two-year, $40 million extension with a player option on the second season. John Hollinger of The Athletic reported that the deal was structured as an extension, not a new contract, which kept Porzingis immediately trade-eligible.
That detail is the key. So is the number.
His $19.5 million salary is the real asset here. It’s big enough to bring back a legitimate player, small enough to slide into a variety of trade constructions. For a front office that chose continuity all summer, that mid-tier contract is the bridge they’ll need if a star unexpectedly hits the market.
Porzingis lands third on the list for a simple reason: a 31-year-old who has suited up only 15 times for his new team cannot be the lone centerpiece in a franchise-altering deal. He’s a matching-salary weapon and a useful player, not the crown jewel.
No. 2: The Warriors’ Own First-Round Picks
This is where things get serious.
The league just sent a message about the value of draft capital by stripping the Clippers of five future first-round picks in the Kawhi Leonard punishment. Everyone noticed. Picks are no longer just lottery tickets; they’re currency, leverage, and in some cases, punishment.
A breakdown in May showed Golden State still holding its own first-round picks in 2027, 2028, 2029, 2031 and 2032. The 2030 first is conditionally owed to Dallas, but only if it lands outside the top 20.
For a team built around Curry and a 36-year-old Draymond Green, that kind of future control is rare. It’s also terrifying for opponents. Nobody has any idea what the Warriors will look like in 2029 or 2031, and that uncertainty drives up the price. Those distant picks could be the lifeline for a rebuild or the final chips pushed in for one last run.
Golden State already showed its willingness to hold its ground. The front office kept the No. 11 pick in June and used it on Yaxel Lendeborg instead of flipping it for immediate help. That patience won’t last forever. The day this roster clearly needs a real upgrade, those picks are what get rival GMs to pick up the phone and stay on the line.
No. 1: Brandin Podziemski, the Piece Nobody Wants to Give Up
Podziemski is the name that comes up first in trade talks. He’s also the name the Warriors least want to hear.
He’s 23. He played all 82 games last season. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and he did it while making just $5.7 million in the final year of his rookie deal. Production, durability, and a bargain price — that’s the modern front-office dream.
Dunleavy made his stance clear in August. He said he’d rather get an extension done with Podziemski than let the situation drift into restricted free agency next summer.
“When he’s on the court, we’re a better team,” Dunleavy said.
Nothing is signed yet. The extension window slams shut on Oct. 19. Until then, Podziemski is both a core piece and a looming decision.
Any team that trades for him isn’t just landing a cheap young guard. It’s acquiring his restricted free agent rights, a built-in advantage when it comes time to negotiate. If he takes another step this season and edges into full-blown breakout territory, that price only climbs.
Golden State finished 37-45 last season, 10th in the West, and now opens this campaign without Butler and Moody. The margin for error around Curry keeps shrinking, and Dunleavy’s choices between now and February will say everything about how the franchise views its timeline.
Do these assets fuel the next iteration of the Warriors, or are they the last chips pushed in for one more run with No. 30?
The logic inside the building feels clear enough: keep Podziemski and the bulk of those future firsts unless a true star with years left on his deal becomes available. Let Porzingis’ contract be the one that moves if the right opportunity appears.
The league knows what it wants from Golden State. The question now is whether the Warriors are ready to give any of it up.
