Lakers the perfect team to help Moses Moody go from odd man out to core player

The Los Angeles Lakers will enter the 2024-25 NBA season with a close eye on the trade market. Free agency produced minimal changes to the roster, with more departures than acquisitions, thus leaving Los Angeles in a position of temporary complacency.

If the goal is to find a long-term piece via a trade, however, then the Golden State Warriors should be firmly on Rob Pelinka's radar this season.

Golden State is in the midst of a contract situation that could determine the long-term trajectory of the organization and the vitality of the final seasons of the Stephen Curry era. At the heart of that internal debate is a duo whom the Warriors drafted in 2021: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Both are up for rookie-scale extensions, with Kuminga potentially tasking the Warriors with handing out a max-level deal—a figure Golden State is unwilling to meet, but may reconsider as the season progresses.

Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic:

"The Warriors aren’t currently prepared to give Kuminga a max extension (like the five-year, $224-million deal Franz Wagner got from the Orlando Magic that will start at 25 percent of the cap) or anything that stretches too close to that $44.8 million annual salary, league sources said. There’s credible reason for Kuminga to believe he can play himself into that ballpark with another leap."

It's unclear if Golden State is willing to pay that price, but general manager Mike Dunleavy made it clear that he wants to extend both players. Kuminga, of course, is coming off of a season in which he began to put the league on notice, averaging 16.1 points on 52.9 percent shooting from the field.

If Kuminga ultimately receives the lucrative contract that he's looking for, then Moody could be a casualty of strict salary cap rules—and the Warriors could be open to a trade.

Moses Moody would be the ideal in-season trade target for the Lakers

Moody has struggled to secure consistent playing time during his three seasons with the Warriors. That can be attributed to the reputations and salaries of the players who have remained ahead of him on the depth chart, including Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

Thompson joining the Dallas Mavericks implies that minutes will be made available to Moody in 2024-25, but recent offseason decisions seem to imply otherwise.

Golden State signed 3-and-D guard De'Anthony Melton to a one-year, $12,822,000 deal that would suggest he'll play a prominent role in 2024-25. It also added sharpshooting guard Buddy Hield on a four-year contract worth just under $37.8 million.

Throw in the presence of favored guard Brandin Podziemski, and there's a strong possibility that Moody will continue to be on the outside looking in.

Los Angeles is the perfect team to provide a resolution.

Standing at 6'5" and 211 pounds with a massive 7'0.75" wingspan and a consistent outside shot, Moody should be able to find minutes as a 3-and-D specialist. Through three NBA seasons, he's overcome inconsistent playing time to shoot 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.

That's been a steady number, as he's shot between 36.0 and 36.4 percent in each of those three seasons—suggesting he's a legitimately capable shooter.

This past season, he made the most of his 17.5 minutes per game by averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 three-point field goals made within them. Those marks translate to 16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.

They also establish how capable he is of not only shooting well, but producing as an all-around scoring threat—all the while maintaining elite defensive potential.

As the Lakers search for the 3-and-D wing who can complete their rotation, Moody may just be the under-the-radar target who gets them over the hump. The perimeter is flush with talent, but it's a general crop of players who have not yet solidified their status as surefire long-term assets.

With a developable 3-and-D wing who has the tools to evolve beyond that role, the Lakers could finally look toward a bright future—with a 2025 restricted free agent they can either extend or match an offer for.