Other teams know exactly what they would ask Golden State for, and the answer is a young guard, a pile of picks and one big man's contract.
Rival front offices already know what they would ask the Golden State Warriors for, and the list is short.
Stephen Curry is not on it, since ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported this week that there is no negotiation on his extension, only a team waiting for a 38-year-old Curry to name his terms.
Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are not on it either, because Mike Dunleavy said in August that neither will play in the Oct. 21 opener and there is no timeline for either rehab, which leaves three real assets.
No. 3 Kristaps Porzingis and His Contract
Porzingis came over from Atlanta in February in the Jonathan Kuminga trade, and in June the Warriors gave him a two-year, $40 million extension with a player option on year two.
John Hollinger of The Athletic reported the deal was written as an extension, which left Porzingis eligible to be traded right away.
He averaged 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 32 games last season, only 15 of them with Golden State.
The $19.5 million salary is the useful part, big enough to bring back a real player and easy to fit, and a front office that chose continuity all summer will need it if a star shakes loose.
He sits third because a 31-year-old who played 15 games for his new team cannot carry a trade alone.
No. 2 Warriors' Own First-Round Picks
The league just showed what picks are worth by taking five future first-round picks from the Clippers in the Kawhi Leonard punishment.
A May breakdown had Golden State still holding its own first-round picks in 2027, 2028, 2029, 2031 and 2032, with the 2030 pick going to Dallas only if it lands outside the top 20.
That is rare for a team built around Curry and a 36-year-old Draymond Green, and a rival would pay a lot because nobody knows what the Warriors look like in 2029.
The front office kept the No. 11 pick in June and drafted Yaxel Lendeborg, but the day this roster needs a real upgrade, the picks get the phone answered.
No. 1 Brandin Podziemski
Podziemski is the player other teams ask about first, and the one the Warriors least want to move.
He is 23, he played all 82 games last season and averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and he makes $5.7 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
Dunleavy said in August that he would rather get an extension done than let it drag into restricted free agency next summer.
"When he's on the court, we're a better team," Dunleavy said.
Nothing is signed, and the extension window closes on Oct. 19.
A team that trades for him gets a cheap young guard plus his restricted free agent rights, and a breakout year would only push the price higher.
Golden State finished 37-45 and 10th in the West last season, and with Butler and Moody out to start this one, Dunleavy has to decide by February whether these assets go toward the next team or one more push around Curry.
Keep Podziemski and the picks unless the return is a star with years left, and let Porzingis go if the right deal shows up.
