Warriors’ Trade Deadline Big Board: 7 Targets Ranked by Talent, Cost and Fit

The Golden State Warriors have been in all sorts of trade rumors for weeks, but now they have under one week to make a move before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

A few days ago, I ranked the Warriors' top trade targets for Jonathan Kuminga. Four of those names will re-appear here, but there will be three new names who would likely need Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green to be in the trade as well.

Here are the Warriors' top seven trade targets based on talent, cost and fit.

7. SF Naji Marshall

Projected trade: Marshall and Daniel Gafford for Kuminga and one first-round pick (third team needed to take back small Golden State salary)
Contract: Two years, $18.4 million

Marshall, 28, is playing the best basketball of his career, as he's averaging 21.5 points on 57.0 percent from the field over his last eight games.

The only issue is his three-point shooting. His career rate is 30.3 percent, and his season rate is 30.6 percent.

But that shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

The Mavericks are a much worse three-point shooting team than the Warriors, and yet Marshall is still thriving. So it wouldn't be surprising if he continues producing consistent secondary scoring with the Warriors at an efficient clip even when he's playing next to Draymond Green, who also struggles to shoot the three.

Defensively, Marshall is solid. At 6'6" and with his strength, he's big enough to guard bigger wings and make impactful plays as a help defender.

6. SF Andrew Wiggins

Projected trade: Wiggins for Kuminga, Buddy Hield and one first-round pick
Contract: Two years, $58.4 million (2026-27 player option)

Wiggins is the safest choice if the Warriors want an upgrade but are only willing to trade one first-round pick. He'd provide much-needed secondary scoring, and he'd be one the Warriors' best wing defenders.

The main issue with a Wiggins trade is that the Warriors were drowning last season with an extremely similar roster before the Butler trade. Do the Dubs want to go back to that for the rest of this season?

He's a better fit than Marshall due to his three-point shooting (38.9 percent this season). But his ceiling is much lower than the next five players, so he settles in at No. 6 here.

5. C Anthony Davis

Projected trade: Davis, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell for Butler, Kuminga and one first-round pick (third team needed to take back small Dallas salary)
Contract: Three years, $175.4 million (player option for 2027-28)

Davis is the riskiest player here due to his injury history. He's currently out with a hand injury until at least late February.

But that injury history is baked into the price of the trade. The 32-year-old might cost the Warriors just one first-round pick, whereas the next four on this list will cost more.

Davis' fit with the Warriors might not be perfect. He uses a lot of possessions facing up from the elbow before taking mid-range jump shots. That's anti-ethical to the Warriors' system, but it might not be a bad thing for the Dubs to go away from their system at times, as they rank just 13th in offensive rating anyway, per Cleaning the Glass.

Defensively, Davis and Green would be an amazing duo.

The main issue with this trade is that Davis reportedly wants a max extension, which would almost assuredly age very poorly.

Davis is a great target for a short-term run at title contention, but he's a much worse target than the four ahead of him for sustaining success in the post-Curry era.

4. F Lauri Markkanen

Projected trade: Markkanen for Kuminga, Green, three first-round picks, one first-round pick swap
Contract: Four years, $195.6 million

There's a version of this trade in which the Warriors give up Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield (and possibly a fifth player) and slightly less draft capital instead of Green, but Golden State has to be careful giving up both Podz and Moody in a trade, as they are easily their two best players under 27 years old.

Whether or not Green is included in the trade, Markkanen would be a wondrous offensive complement to Curry.

The 7'1" forward is averaging 27.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and he's a better team defender than given credit for.

What keeps him from being ahead of the next two guys is a) he's not an elite three-point shooter at 36.4 percent this season and b) he'll likely cost more to acquire in a trade.

3. SF Michael Porter Jr.

Projected trade: Porter for Kuminga, Moody, Hield, two first-round picks
Contract: Two years, $79.1 million

Porter is arguably a better fit than Trey Murphy III, who is ranked one spot ahead of him, due to his ability to shoot off movement, which is a hallmark of the Steve Kerr offense.

And Porter could be had for a cheaper draft-pick price.

There are two things keeping Porter below Murphy.

First, Porter has a less desirable contract. If the Warriors trade for Porter, they will have to give him a huge extension if they want to keep past the 2026-27 season. That's risky considering his back injury history.

Second, there's almost no way in which the Warriors make this move and keep Moody.

In any case, a 6'10" wing averaging 25.2 points per game on 39.5 percent from three would be a godsend for the Warriors.

2. SF Trey Murphy III

Projected trade: Murphy and Saddiq Bey for Kuminga, Hield, three first-round picks
Contract: Four years, $112 million

We know the Pelicans want a godfather offer for Murphy, so it's debatable that they'd even accept this.

But note that the three first-round picks here would be 2028, 2030 and 2032, the three most valuable the Warriors can give.

Murphy (36.9) isn't quite the three-pointer shooter Porter (39.5) is, but his career effective field-goal percentage of 57.4 is better than Markkanen's, which is 54.9.

Ultimately, all three are similarly potent on offense, and though Murphy is the most athletic, they are similarly effective on defense.

But once again, it's Murphy's contract that gets him the No. 2 spot.

By being paid less, he gives the Warriors more flexibility to make other trades. And by being signed through 2028-29 at a bargain rate, it makes it easier to imagine the Warriors getting a haul for trading him 1.5 to 2.5 years down the line if things are going south.

1. F Giannis Antetokounmpo

Projected trade: Antetokounmpo and Kyle Kuzma for Butler, Kuminga, Podz, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap
Contract: Three years, $175.4 million (player option for 2027-28)

There are risks trading this much for a 31-year-old whose game is as reliant on athleticism as Antetokounmpo's is.

But Antetokounmpo is simply way better than any other player on the market, and that's why he ranks No. 1 here.

Antetokounmpo is a top-three player in the NBA. He's averaging 28.0 points on 64.5 percent from the field. Light Years podcast host Sam Esfandiari recently shared this incredible fact: Antetokounmpo has shot at least 50 percent in every game this season (not counting the game in which he didn't attempt a shot in three minutes before getting hurt).

Assuming he signs an extension with the Warriors, this is the best move for Golden State's short- and long-term goals.

In the short term, he'd pair with Curry to form the league's best offensive tandem, and he'd also pair with Green to form a frightening defensive duo.

The Warriors would be in the title chase immediately.