Warriors’ Complete 2024 NBA Trade Deadline Preview, Predictions

The Golden State Warriors carried championship aspirations into the 2023-24 NBA season.

Halfway through the campaign, though, those dreams look laughable, as this team has slipped all the way to 12th in the Western Conference standings. Their offense isn’t great, their defense is downright bad and they can’t seem to ever get their entire roster on the floor.

If the Dubs are ever going to turn things around, this is the time to do it. While they obviously must improve internally, this is their chance to get an external lift—if they sense this season is able to be saved, that is.

They have between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline to make that call. While this front office could seemingly go either direction at the deadline—or do nothing at all—we’ll do our best to map out where things stand now and predict what could happen in the coming week.

The quality of Golden State’s asset collection essentially boils down to one thing: the availability of Jonathan Kuminga.

The third-year swingman has dropped hints of having a sky-high ceiling for a while now, but he’s never come closer to realizing that potential. Already an all-purpose defender, he has tallied double-digit points in each of his last 24 outings. He has actually reached 20-plus points in each of his last seven contests, averaging 25.1 points with a ridiculous 61.9/54.5/77.4 shooting slash during this heater.

While Stephen Curry is the Warriors’ lone untouchable, they are “reluctant” to let go of Kuminga, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. That’s a sensible stance given Kuminga’s age (21), ascension and upside, but keeping him off the table really limits the appeal of Golden State’s potential offer.

The Warriors can trade two future firsts (2026 and 2028) or offer swap rights in any draft between 2027 and 2030. They have three second-round picks at their disposal. They have other intriguing youngsters like Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but all have been rotation regulars at times this season. They also have disappointing veterans like Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, but who’s excited to trade for high-dollar disappointments?

Logic has long held that what the Warriors need more than anything is a legitimate co-star for Curry. Depending on one’s assessment of Kuminga’s rise (the sustainability of it, in particular), you could argue that itch has been scratched internally.

Still, Kuminga is much more of a finisher than a shot-creator, so Golden State could use more off-the-bounce ability. It also needs players who can pressure opposing teams at the rim. The Warriors average just 33.9 paint points per 36 minutes, the third-lowest average in the league, per NBA.com.

According to the stat sheet, though, they need their biggest upgrades on the defensive end, where they sit just 23rd in efficiency. Now, it hasn’t helped that Draymond Green has been in and out of the lineup due to suspension, or that Gary Payton II can’t seem to shake the injury bug, but having those two players on a nightly basis wouldn’t suddenly make the Dubs a defensive juggernaut.

What they need more than anything, though, is high-end talent and two-way contributors. The challenge is finding either with their limited trade budget.

It felt for a time like the Warriors were perhaps the league’s likeliest team to strike a major trade before the deadline. Between Curry’s ticking clock, Golden State’s enormous payroll and the team’s sagging winning percentage, all arrows seemingly pointed to a substantial splash.

Moving closer to that cutoff point, though, it’s suddenly far from certain the Warriors do anything—dramatic or not. As the Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported, “the odds and internal expectations of a trade that meaningfully moves the needle has steadily decreased over the last month.”

There isn’t a player on the market capable of getting Golden State back on track. Even if there was, the franchise may lack the assets to land them. The Warriors won’t pull the plug with a fire-sale, either, since they still have Curry near the peak of his powers and don’t control their first-round pick, which belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers with only top-four protection on it.

The Warriors will probably poke around for upgrades leading up to the deadline, but it’s possible the right deal simply isn’t available to them this time around. They could broker a big trade, but if they do anything, look for a marginal move that nets them either some size or perimeter defense.