Mike Dunleavy Jr discusses potential trades involving first round picks for the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors made a move at the NBA trade deadline, dealing Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis.
Kuminga's name had been in trade rumors for years, and he reportedly requested a trade ahead of the deadline after he was unable to stick in Steve Kerr's rotation.
The Warriors were reportedly involved in talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, though it is unclear how serious the Milwaukee Bucks were about dealing their superstar.
According to reports, the Warriors were willing to offer Kuminga, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, and up to four first-round picks in a deal for Giannis.
Mike Dunleavy Jr Wants To Improve The Team
Speaking to the media, Dunleavy Jr addressed the reports that the Warriors were pursuing Giannis, and was asked how willing he would be to use first-round picks in other deals.
“We’re willing to do whatever it takes to improve this team, whether it’s young players or first round picks," he said.
He said as long as the Warriors were in a win-now window, which he believes they were prior to Jimmy Butler's injury, he will continue to make moves to improve the team.
Butler suffered an ACL injury on January 19, putting him out for the rest of the season.
Trading First Round Picks
The Warriors could have offered four first-round picks for Giannis at the deadline, the most of any team. In the offseason, they'll have five first-round picks and three first-round swaps to potentially offer.
However, other teams will have more first-round picks available to offer that weren't in play at the deadline.
The last time they traded a first-round pick was part of the Jimmy Butler deal, when they dealt their 2025 pick to the Miami Heat.
They also traded a first-round pick in 2023 when they dealt Jordon Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr, Ryan Rollins, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2030 protected first-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul. That pick is now in Dallas as part of the Anthony Davis to Wizards trade.
The pick is top 20 protected, so the Warriors could still deal the pick if it lands between 1 and 20.
Trading Young Players
The Warriors have made six first-round picks since 2019. Only Moses Moody (14th overall in 2021) and Brandin Podziemski (19th overall in 2023) remain on the roster.
They have traded Poole (28th overall in 2019), James Wiseman (2nd overall in 2020), Kuminga (7th overall in 2021), and Baldwin (28th overall in 2023) to various results. Gary Payton II (acquired as part of the Wiseman deal) and Porzingis are still with the team.
The Warriors are one of the older teams in the league, though Podziemski, Gui Santos, Moody, Pat Spencer, Will Richard, and Quinten Post are all younger players with varying degrees of value.