3 'smaller scale' Warriors trades to climb up the West standings after Markkanen whiff

The Golden State Warriors have been big game hunting throughout the 2024 offseason, looking for someone to help push them over the top during the final seasons of high-level play from franchise icon Stephen Curry. Now that Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has inked a new contract that makes him unable to be traded this season after the Dubs failed in their pursuit, they find themselves seemingly out of available options at the star level.

As noted by The Athletic, the Warriors will shift their attention to “smaller scale” targets to provide Coach Kerr with additional optionality in lineup iterations. This could come in the form of two-way role players who can share the floor in big moments with Curry and Draymond Green, veteran specialists to provide a change of pace in spot minutes, or a combination of both.

The Warriors have some expendable salary filler in Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, a young wing with upside in Moses Moody, and draft capital available to them as resources to get smaller deals done.

Let’s look at three potential options that may be of interest to Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

3. Bruce Brown — G — Toronto Raptors

Back in June, Bruce Brown had his $23 million Team Option picked up by the Raptors, which led many to believe they had a trade lined up for the 2023 NBA champion. Alas, the entire month of July has passed, and he remains on the roster, making him potentially available.

Brown played a pivotal role as the ultimate Swiss army knife for the champion Nuggets in 2023 and leveraged that play into a big payday with the Indiana Pacers. He is one of the most efficient scorers in the league in transition, ranking 84th percentile in 2023 and 82nd percentile in 2024 in points per possession (PPP) on these plays, per Synergy. This is an area where the Warriors struggled last season, finishing T-28th in frequency and T-26th in PPP in the league.

He also provides above average ball handling, playmaking, rebounding, and defense from the wing. The well-rounded skills and wing size would offer flexibility in playing with various lineup combinations, including even closing tight games.

If the Warriors wanted to make this happen, a trade that may work could look something like:

22-year-old wing Moses Moody would be the prize for the Raptors here. He is heading into the final season of his rookie scale contract and will likely hit restricted free agency next summer if he’s not extended before the season. He has moved in and out of the rotation in Golden State, showing promising flashes with defensive playmaking and jump shooting, but has yet to establish a hold on a consistent role.

He’s swapped here with Brown to align with the Raptors’ transition to younger players, while Looney and Payton provide necessary salary filler, after the emergence of young players and other free agency acquisitions in Golden State. A second-round pick or two could also be included in the deal going one or both ways to help balance as needed.

2. Malcolm Brogdon — G — Washington Wizards

Brogdon is a former Sixth Man of the Year currently rostered on a rebuilding Wizards squad. As mentioned previously, some additional ball handling would be welcome in Golden State, as Curry is really the only true point guard with this strength on the roster. Brogdon has a lot of trouble staying healthy, but is a strong playmaker who scores efficiently, finds open teammates, and takes care of the ball.

In his last full season with the Celtics (2022-23), he ranked in the 97th percentile in points per shot (PPS) on jump shots in the league, including 94th percentile on catch and shoot jumpers and 97th percentile on dribble jumpers, per Synergy. This could offer some real dynamism in pick-and-roll situations on or off the ball.

Being that Brogdon’s durability is a major issue and is on a rebuilding team, the following package could be used to entice the Wizards.

Moody is again the piece of most intrigue to Washington, as someone with youth on his side for a team that is many years away from competing. With rangy defensive skills and shooting ability, he could pair well on the wing with young French prospect Bilal Coulibaly.

Looney and Payton II are expiring salary that won’t clog their books long term, while Looney could also provide a veteran presence in the middle to help protect Alex Sarr, since it is possible that Jonas Valanciunas be moved.

1. Simone Fontecchio — F — Detroit Pistons

Fontecchio established himself as quite a serviceable 3-and-D wing with good size at 6-foot-7 last season with Utah and Detroit. Though not on a huge sample size, he was particularly adept at defending in isolation situations, holding opponents to just 0.807 points per possession on these plays, according to Synergy. He also shot 42.8 percent on corner 3s last season, showing his marksmanship.

He is not as dynamic as Andrew Wiggins but could help provide some stability on the wing at times when Wiggins may be slumping. He’d fit in well with the starters or bench units and is on a manageable contract for the next two seasons. As a side note, Fontecchio would not be eligible to be traded until later in the year, having signed a new contract this past July.

The Pistons traded a good second-round pick for Fontecchio at last year’s trade deadline, so the Warriors would presumably have to at least match (likely exceed) that price tag. Additionally, with the Pistons looking to improve their on-court play after an embarrassingly inept season, they would likely need to be struggling again to be motivated to move the 28-year-old.

With this package, the Pistons acquire Moody, who possesses a theoretically similar skillset to Fontecchio but with a longer runway for realizing more upside as a recent lottery pick. The team has prioritized shooting this offseason, so he helps maintain that focus. They would also have good leverage in contract negotiations next summer, able to use restricted free agency to keep him around.

The Warriors have optionality with their trade resources but must also strike a delicate balance to attempt to maximize their veteran core while not crippling their future. They could go in a variety of directions with their approach, and it will be exciting to see where they land on this topic.