With an uncertain role and limited playing time, Moses Moody’s future at the Golden State Warriors was very much clouded ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.

The fluctuating opportunity had created a notion that the Warriors should move on from the 14th overall pick for his own good, but in fairness to the franchise, they’ve been more committed to Moody since an opportunity arose from Andrew Wiggins’ personal leave absence.

Moses Moody’s value to the Golden State Warriors far outweighs his potential value to rival teams in trade scenarios

Moody has averaged over 24.1 minutes per game over the last seven, the last three of which have come with Wiggins back in the lineup. There now appears a more certain role in place for the 21-year-old, at least in contrast to previous occasions where he’s had to rely on the absence of others.

Moody’s lack of playing exposure has lessened his value to rival teams, which may have contributed to the fact he hasn’t been traded over the last 12-15 months. His potential has been rediscovered over the past fortnight, but that point is more notable to Golden State than it is to other teams at this stage.

In a recent article looking at 1 Trade Every NBA Team Wishes It Could Make Right Now, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed the following trade for the Brooklyn Nets that includes Moody and the Warriors:

“Shifting focus forward, then, should be the objective. This deal would take the team toward that direction. Between Moody, the No. 14 pick in 2021, and that future first-rounder, Brooklyn would have a real chance to leave this trade with at least two keepers.”

– Zach Buckley
This would be a home run deal for Brooklyn and nothing short of a bad value one for Golden State. It’s almost ironic that Finney-Smith is a very similar type of player that Moody projects to be. That projection isn’t a long-term one though, with the very real possibility that he’s a better player within 12-18 months.

The numbers are similar between the two right now, and even if we acknowledge that Finney-Smith is the better and clearly more experienced player at present, the difference isn’t worth the Warriors giving up another genuine rotation player in Payton, another young talent in Santos, and a top 10 protected first-round pick.

It may be a horrible trade from a Golden State standpoint, but it’s also reflective of Moody’s value around the league. Now that he’s back in the rotation, his value will likely rehabilitate back to a point where a trade like this would look more and more ridiculous as time progresses.