The Golden State Warriors start the 2025-26 season 1-0, after taking down the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers in their opener. While it was an impressive win, they’ll be tested on Thursday night when they play host to the Denver Nuggets, a projected top title contender this season.
Looking at the Warriors’ roster, the team is built around its All-Star veterans in Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. Since adding Butler during last year’s trade deadline, it’s been a new-look team. However, Butler wasn’t the only star this team targeted, and a new report from Anthony Slater of ESPN indicates Green prevented them from acquiring one in 2024.
Steph Curry called the Warriors’ team-building approach “aggressive but reasonable.”
“I want to be competitive. Doesn’t mean you’re going to have a perfect situation where you’re the proverbial favorite. But I like where we are at.”https://t.co/8bIc5ugj3m
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 23, 2025
In Slater’s recent piece, he revealed that Green told general manager Mike Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob back in 2024 not to “green-light a trade” for Utah Jazz star forward Lauri Markannen, citing they “were asking for all the draft picks and young players.”
It was a deal that was heavily talked about in rumors at the time, and it appears that Green wasn’t a fan of the team trading away multiple draft picks and young pieces to take a swing on the star forward coming off a season averaging 23.2 points per game.
The Golden State Warriors are offering Moses Moody, multiple first-round picks, multiple pick swaps and multiple second-round picks to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Lauri Lauri Markkanen, per @ShamsCharania
Utah wants Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, along with… pic.twitter.com/29nvfk9oqT
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 15, 2024
According to a report by Shams Charania back in 2024, Utah was seeking Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski, as well as draft picks, in exchange for Markkanen. For context, Kuminga was coming off a 16.1 point per game season, Podziemski had just finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, and Moody had firmly established himself in the rotation at 8.1 points per game.
Looking at this now, especially factoring in draft picks, it’s hard to say this is a deal that would’ve worked out in Golden State’s favor. Even if Markkanen were to outperform what Butler has done to this point, the cost of acquiring him would’ve gutted Golden State of all its key rotation pieces. At least with Butler, it was essentially a swap for Andrew Wiggins, plus the 20th overall pick.
Stat sheet stuffer ✍️
Jonathan Kuminga did it all in the season opener. pic.twitter.com/RAkWlJfBBd
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 22, 2025
Even though Markkanen looked great in Utah’s season opener against the Clippers, Kuminga and Podziemski were both starters for Golden State in their opener, with Moody expected to contend for his spot back in the starting lineup once he’s back from injury.
Now that Markkanen is under a new contract, it will be harder for the Jazz to move him, and it would’ve put Golden State in a tough financial position.
