Warriors: Ranking the 3 best trade targets to turn them back into title contenders

The Golden State Warriors are a talented team, but clearly not quite good enough to make them a definitive title favorite. These players could help.

At 13-13, there’s reason to believe the Golden State Warriors have another level they can get to with just their current core. After all, they roster Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Jordan Poole. But what we’ve seen thus far makes it clear that the Warriors are going to be facing an uphill battle to defend their title if they don’t make some roster moves.

The Warriors, cap-strung and with minimal roster flexibility, have very few moves they can realistically make. They can get creative, but there’s no way they’re trading Stephen Curry or Jordan Poole, the former because he’s a generational star, the latter because a posion pill provision in his contract makes it difficult to do so.

Thompson and Green are up for debate, but it’s hard to see either of them moving without an incredibly compelling return.

So, that leaves the following pieces as attractive trade assets:

• Andrew Wiggins
• James Wiseman
• Kevon Looney
• Jonathan Kuminga
• Donte DiVincenzo
• Moses Moody
• 2023 first-round draft pick
• 2025 first-round draft pick
• 2025 second-round draft pick

For most of those players, the Warriors would have to ask serious questions about the return of the trade. Do they value chemistry and keeping the core of the team together or upgrading in a win-now move?

So while there’s a lot of complication as far as how the specifics of a deal would look (there are with any trade), there are some players they should definitely be targeting.

Here are three players they should inquire about and see what it would take to get a deal done.

Warriors best trade targets: Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards

Kyle Kuzma might be the most talented and useful trade piece the Warriors could consider, but the chances the Warriors can acquire him might be slim. Kuzma has plenty of potential trade suitors, and there’s going to be a high demand on a two-way wing.

That said, the Warriors should consider inquiring. They could use the shooting and the defense.

Consider this, the 2015, 17, and 18 title-winning Warriors teams were all 1st in the league in field goal percentage. Last year was an aberration at 10th-best.

Kuzma isn’t the best 3-point shooter, but he’s hitting 45.9 percent from the field.

Even more compelling is what they limited their opponents to as far as field goal percentage. Here was the Warriors’ opponent field goal percentage rank in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, all title-winning years:

• 2015: 1st
• 2017: 1st
• 2018: 3rd
• 2022: 2nd

Kuzma would help strengthen the Warriors’ wing defense while giving them another scoring threat.

This one is unlikely, but a worthy consideration.