Warriors news: Moody upping his value, latest updates on Durant and Butler trades

Three nights after taking an embarrassing 25-point loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors got back on the winning track on Monday against the Orlando Magic, although they nearly coughed up a 15-point lead in the second half before ultimately pulling out a 104-99 victory.

As it went against Phoenix, the Dubs didn't shoot the ball particularly well, connecting on just 43.6% of their attempts from the floor and only 30.8 percent of their shots from the three-point line. Their struggles from the foul line also continued, as they hit just 24 of 34 attempts.

Thankfully for Golden State, Orlando was even worse, shooting 43.4 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from the three-point line.

Steph Curry went for 24 points but needed 21 shots to get there, making just seven of them and going only 2-for-12 from beyond the arc. Andrew Wiggins was far more efficient, making seven of 14 shots en route to a team-high 25 points.

After missing the last two weeks with a calf injury, Draymond Green returned to the lineup, and while he only scored four points, he hit a big bucket down the stretch, as did Moses Moody. And that's where we'll kick things off, after which we'll dive into some trade talk.

Moses Moody has been one of the Warriors' most consistent players in recent weeks

Moody has been one of Golden State's most consistent and efficient players as of late, and the fourth-year guard was at it again on Monday night, scoring 17 points off the bench on 6-for-9 shooting.

That efficiency earned him a spot in the closing lineup, and his three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, which gave the Warriors a 99-94 lead, played a big part in thwarting the Magic's comeback attempt.

Moody has now scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games and has averaged 12.8 points during that stretch, shooting 49.4% from the floor and 44.1 percent from the three-point line.

If the Warriors do end up making a trade before Thursday's deadline, Moody has undoubtedly upped his value over the last few weeks. So, perhaps he becomes the kicker Golden State needs to get a deal done.

There is reportedly 'no traction' on a potential trade between the Warriors and Suns for Kevin Durant

While the Warriors have been involved in all sorts of trade rumors over the last couple of months, things have gone to an entirely different level over the past few days following the multiple blockbuster deals that went down over the weekend.

It's been reported that Golden State's dream scenario would be to bring in both LeBron James and Kevin Durant. But as LeBron isn't likely to waive his no-trade clause, the probability of that playing out is between slim and none, with things being much closer to the latter.

As far as a reunion with Durant is concerned, the Suns seem somewhat willing to deal the 15-time All-Star, but they'll undoubtedly want quite a bit in return.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported on Monday night that the Warriors "are indeed serious about reuniting with Kevin Durant." But on Tuesday morning, Forbes NBA insider Evan Sidery reported that there was "currently no traction" on a potential deal getting done.

Golden State acquiring Jimmy Butler doesn't seem likely either

Another big name the Warriors have been linked to, of course, is disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, who has also been linked to the Suns.

Amid all the rumors, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Monday that Butler has informed the Warriors that he's not interested in signing an extension with the team, which obviously creates a problem for Golden State.

However, he is apparently willing to do so with Phoenix, although that could prove tricky as the Suns would likely need to deal Bradley Beal to make that happen. The problem there is that Beal is the only player in the NBA not named LeBron James who has a full no-trade clause in his contract. That won't keep Phoenix from trying to move him, but it will be challenging.

In a new column on Tuesday morning, Windhorst believes the Warriors may still be an option for Butler, but only if other things fall apart.

"With a couple of days left until the deadline, the Suns' dream is alive, but it's going to require a complex alliance," Windhorst wrote. "The Heat are very motivated to move Butler and could abandon the Suns option and send him somewhere else. (Golden State remains a possibility if the Heat run out of time and then let the new team deal with the fallout.)"

So, that's where things stand for now. The Warriors may want to make a big trade, but that doesn't mean they actually will.