The Golden State Warriors have gone 11-10 to start the season. It’s clear that general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. needs to make some moves if the Warriors are to become a true contender this season. While Jonathan Kuminga remains an obvious final trade piece, the contract prevents him from being moved until January. While trades are rare early in the season, the Warriors have some options.
Here is a list of some deals the Dubs could try to make right now:
The Warriors Meet: Saddiq Bey and Yves Missy
Pelicans get: Buddy Hield, Tracy Jackson-Davis, and GS 2026 first (top-5 protected)
The Pelicans are among the worst teams in the NBA and do not have a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. While the Warriors probably aren’t willing to trade their 2026 first-rounder now, hoping to wait and make a run at Trey Murphy or Herb Jones down the line, Dunleavy should be open to a more aggressive move for secondary role players that allows him to keep his best trade pieces. After all, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and the Warriors first-round pick in the post-Steph Curry era all probably have higher trade value anyway.
Sadiq Bey is a 3-and-D forward who is under contract for just under $6.5 million per year through the 2026-27 season. He’s a solid rebounder, three-point shooter and is willing to have his number called. While there is significant overlap between his game and Kuminga’s game, which is probably why the Warriors effectively traded Bay for Gary Payton II in the James Wiseman deal, Golden State must sacrifice a better roster for young players who haven’t yet taken a big step forward. Bey could go a long way toward solving a Warriors lineup that desperately needs a player who plays with physicality and can be a threat from three-point range.
Yves Missy is a second-year center with legitimate size who would be a big upgrade over Trayce Jackson-Davis for Golden State. Missy averaged 9.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game as a rookie, but has been buried on the Pelicans depth chart by first-year president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. Even in a smaller role, he has remained a valuable bench man and quietly produced some of the best on/off numbers in the team.
Swapping the roster spots of Hield and Jackson-Davis to Bey and Missy would give Warriors head coach Steve Kerr a much deeper frontcourt. While neither player has the deals that high-priced teams with first-round picks typically look for, they are both on cheap long-term contracts. The Warriors will still have plenty of pieces to look for in an All-Star piece, but they should at least call New Orleans to see if the Pelicans would be willing to part with some role players.
Warriors get: Keon Ellis, Dario Saric
Kings get: Buddy Hield, GS 2026 1st (top-5 protected)
The Kings have reportedly been called by more than a dozen teams trying to acquire Keon Ellis, so it’s likely the Dubs won’t be able to make a deal with even a lightly protected first-round pick. The Kings may also be hesitant in making a deal with the Warriors while Kuminga is still not trade-eligible. If Sacramento still wants Kuminga, then nabbing Ellis would make a lot of sense to get a JK deal across the finish line (it seems like we could be headed toward a Malik Monk/Ellis return for Kuminga when the time comes).
Still, the Warriors should look for every opportunity to convert Hield into a more dynamic scorer or better defensive 3-and-D wing. Ellis is easily the latter and is on a minimum salary contract. Ellis is a career 42.4% three-point shooter who averaged 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes. Still only 25 years old and extension-eligible, he would be an ideal player for the Warriors. Golden State will have to waive Dario Saric for salary-matching purposes, but they could take a big waiver to the journeyman and still come back with some small savings.
Warriors get: Georges Niang
Get Jazz: Buddy Hield, GS 2030 2nd
The least exciting of the group, but possibly the most appreciated. The Jazz acquired Georges Niang as salary filler in one of their many offseason trades. The stretch-four has been sidelined so far this season with a foot fracture, but is close to a return. However, the Jazz depth chart is already heavily balanced toward front court players. On the other hand, the Dubs’ roster is heavily balanced towards guards who cannot make the dribble. Using Hield and a future second-round pick for Niang would give the Warriors an additional $1 million in breathing room under the second apron hard cap and also give them one of the most proven stretch-fours in the league. A career 39.9% three-point shooter on four attempts per game, Niang will allow Steve Kerr to rely a little less on Quinton Post and Al Horford when he needs frontcourt shooting.
Warriors get: Jaden Ivey
Pistons meet: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield
The Pistons have won 13 consecutive games and are on their way to the top of the Eastern Conference. They’ve done so largely without former fifth overall pick Jaden Ivey, who was sidelined to start the season with a knee injury. Ivey has finally returned to action and is carving out a 30+ minute role per game, but it remains to be seen how well Ivey will co-exist with this competitive version of the Pistons. Ivey appeared in only 30 games last season and was sidelined for the team’s playoff run under Cade Cunningham.
Still only 23 years old, Ivy is an impressive athlete and scorer who still has the potential to become an All-Star combo guard. However, there is a reason the Pistons did not sign him to an extension before the season. Ivey has been inconsistent as a playmaker and defender. If the Pistons falter in Ivey’s return or there are doubts about his long-term fit, the Warriors could offer a package of Brandin Podziemski and Hield for the young guard.
While Podge and Hield have both been underdogs for Golden State so far this season, they will both have clear roles in Detroit. The Pistons are desperate for shooting and Hield will reduce his reliance on Duncan Robinson. Podge, on the other hand, is exactly the type of glue guard who fits exceptionally well with ball-dominant players like Cunningham.
The Pistons have a real chance to win the Eastern Conference, which could make Ivey’s potential surprisingly attractive to a more consistent role player like Podziemski. Podziemski is also on a short contract and is an additional year removed from restricted free agency. If the Pistons want to retain Ivey and young big Jalen Duren, who will both become restricted free agents, they will face a slight payroll crunch next summer. Swapping Ivey for Podziemski would further that puzzle.
Ivey is far from the ideal player for the Warriors, but he is arguably the most-upside shooting guard the Warriors could acquire via trade this season. The Dubs will still have plenty of players in the first round, with Jonathan Kuminga and even Moses Moody involved in trades later in the season if they need to make additional moves. The fact is, the Warriors aren’t good enough to pass up the opportunity to add someone to Ivy if they can do so without parting ways with many valuable pieces. Detroit would likely reject a deal that didn’t include an extra first-rounder at this point in the season, but it’s worth a shot for sure.
Warriors get: Ayo Dosunmo, POR 2026 1st (lottery protected)
Bulls get: Buddy Hield, GS 2026 1st (top-5 protected)
Coby White has been heavily linked to the Warriors, but Ayo Dosunmo is an alternative scoring guard whose salary is low enough for the Dubs to acquire him for Hield. The Bulls will get a chance to square off against a Warriors team that is older, has gotten off to a slow start, and is one serious Steph Curry injury away from completely imploding. Meanwhile, the Warriors will add some dynamic scoring to their backcourt and retain a 2026 first-round pick that could be used in another trade down the line.
The Bulls have control of the Blazers’ first-round pick through 2028, but will only get the pick if Portland reaches the playoffs. If the Blazers miss the playoffs for the next three seasons, the selection will change to a second rounder. So, Chicago would be the first to swap that limited upside pick for Dosunmo, who is more likely to be conveyed in the stacked 2026 draft and in the rare scenario Golden State gets a top-five pick next season.
The Warriors would transform Hield from a scoring weapon off the Bulls bench to a much more dynamic young player averaging a career-high 15.6 points per game. Dosunmo has always been a rare guard who was highly efficient from two-point range and he has made 47.8% of his three-point attempts so far this season. While his shooting will unquestionably regress, he has been a 38.7% shooter from three to four attempts per game over the past three seasons.
For a small business, there can be massive variations in the value of the picks included in the draft. If the Blazers reach the playoffs, the Warriors could acquire Dosunmo for a very modest pick swap. On the other hand, if Portland never makes it out of the Western Conference cellar, they could trade a high first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick for a bench player on an expiring contract.
Warriors get: Ivica Zubac, Cameron Christie
Clippers Meet: Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, GS 2026 1st (unsecured), GS 2028 1st (unsecured), GS 2032 1st (unsecured)
As a bonus, I’ll include a borderline blockbuster deal that the Warriors could try to make this season without having Kuminga’s salary available. The fact is, since the Clippers have failed to climb out of the bottom of the Western Conference standings, trade rumors regarding James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac will be around the corner. Zubac is arguably the second-best center in the NBA and has one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league (he’s making just $19.5 million per season through 2027-28).
By trading Moses Moody the Warriors will deplete their draft capital and deplete an already thin group of wings. However, Zubac is a legitimate All-NBA caliber center. Zubac would allow Kerr to actually reduce his reliance on Draymond Green and Al Horford during the regular season and single-handedly solve the team’s returning problems.
There will be some spacing issues to work out offensively with Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Ivica Zubac in the starting lineup, but the trio of players have proven enough to make a bet on them if they know how to maximize their skills offensively. Additionally, Steph Curry has dealt with a much less efficient offensive frontcourt.
Would the Clippers be willing to embrace a rebuild early this season? Probably not, especially when the team is surrounded by controversy and hosting the All-Star Game. Even if they were, would they make such a blockbuster deal within the Pacific division? Probably not. But the Warriors should at least see if a conversation can start between a trio of unprotected first-round picks and Moses Moody.
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