Warriors trade rumors have been swirling all season long. For the last few seasons, the team has been attempting the tough act of playing with two timelines. The team has been trying to both contend for more NBA titles while also developing their young talent. Some would argue that they have done this successfully, winning the title in 2022. However, they did really win that title with a veteran core, leaving most of their youth on the bench to watch how winning championships is done.
Now, that 2022 title feels like ages ago. Since then, the Warriors have failed to win more than one playoff round. The best young prospect from their development timeline, Jordan Poole, has been shipped away. A few young prospects remain on the roster, however, and have been stepping up their games lately. Often looked at as the young Warriors trade pieces, they are starting to show their value, either to the Warriors or the rest of the league.
Young Warriors Trade Pieces Finally Showing Their Value
The Warriors Young Talent
The Warriors have been cultivating two waves of talented potential over the last few seasons. The first are Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. The two lottery picks from 2021 have both shown flashes of excellence, especially Kuminga, but haven’t been able to consistently produce enough to be trusted fully by the Warriors coaching staff.
The next wave came through the 2023 NBA draft. Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis were both less-hyped picks but had excellent rookie seasons. Podziemski made First Team All-Rookie, and TJD showed that he was much better than his draft position of 57th overall.
Warriors Trade Pieces Looked Bad
To start the season, Kuminga, TJD, and Podziemski were all expected to take another leap. Podziemski was expected to start after Klay Thompson’s departure, and the Warriors were all but ready to give Kuminga the keys to the offense (behind Stephen Curry, of course). Rather than taking a step forward, all three players seemed to take a step back.
You can blame Steve Kerr’s inconsistent rotations or the classic sophomore slump, but the young Warriors’ core was disappointing. Fortunately for the Warriors, over the last few games, all three players seem to be taking a turn.
Warriors Trade Rumors Affected
Over the last ten games, Kuminga is finally showing a bit more consistency. Although Kuminga’s stats are down from last year from an efficiency standpoint, he has finally eclipsed his scoring and rebounding averages from last season. Over the last 11 games, Kuminga is averaging 21.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Podziemski seems to have also found something over the last ten games. Earlier in the season, his shooting had Warriors fans pulling their hair out. Over the last ten games, however, he seems to have finally found his stroke. In those 10 contests, he is shooting 47.1% from three, bringing up his accuracy to a still poor 29.5%. TJD has been awesome of late, as well. In his last five games, he is averaging 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and an impressive 1.8 blocks per game.
This improvement from the young Warriors potential trade pieces is great news for the organization. Whether the Warriors trade rumors have validity and they are going to make a move, their young prospects are finally showing some trade value. Or, this improvement could inspire the Warriors to keep their young talent and hope their two-timeline strategy works.
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