Moody, Warriors considering deal at mid-level range

After an impressive preseason where he’s been scoring in bunches, the Warriors have less than a week to figure out an extension for their fourth-year wing

For the majority of his Golden State Warriors career, Moses Moody has spent time just on the fringes of Steve Kerr’s rotation. When the rotation goes nine deep, Moody ends up the 10th man, and when Kerr plays 10th, Moody seems to always be 11th. While he’s had games where he’s played big minutes and hit big shots, even in the playoffs, it’s never been clear that Moody is a part of the Warriors’ present, much less their future.

Which is why a recent report from Anthony Slater was a surprise when it revealed that the Warriors and Moody are indeed discussing a rookie extension, “near the midlevel exception range for multiple seasons.” For this season, that number is $12.822 million, which is what Golden State is paying guard De’Anthony Melton on a one-year deal this season.

Using that as a framework, that puts a theoretical Moody extension at $40-42 million for three years, or $55-58 million for four. That’s very similar to the rookie extensions signed last year by Deni Avdija of the Washington Wizards (4 years, $55M), Josh Green of the Dallas Mavericks (3 years, $41M), and Cole Anthony of the Orlando Magic (3 years, $39.1M), though Moody has never participated in a dunk contest wearing Timberland boots, like Anthony.

Such a deal is a gamble for both sides. The Warriors would be locking in long-term with a player who hasn’t locked in a regular rotation spot, while Moody would be choosing financial security over a potentially-larger payday as a restricted free agent, should he take a step forward this season.

He’s already been taking a step forward during this preseason, which we will once again reiterate are not real games and any conclusions drawn are highly suspect. Nevertheless, it’s certainly not a bad sign that Moody is playing, and scoring a lot, averaging 15.8 points and leading the team in scoring in Tuesday’s 111-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

During training camp, Warriors coaches have praised Moody’s talent, his character, and his work ethic, especially his improved decisiveness with the ball. (Joe Viray did an excellent breakdown of how Moody’s shown much more as a movement shooter and off-ball mover this fall.) If he can carve out a regular role, getting Moody around $12M per season is perfectly reasonable. While the Warriors have salary restrictions, given the big contracts for Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins, a midlevel range deal for Moody isn’t that problematic, especially with the cap likely to rise nearly 10% per season thanks to the league’s new TV deal.

But a deal in that range is also useful even if Moody isn’t in the team’s long-term plans. Both Avdija and Green got traded this summer, Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon and the No. 14 pick (formerly held by the Warriors), and Green to the Charlotte Hornets as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent Klay Thompson to Dallas. With the complicated salary matching that NBA trades require, mid-sized contracts are valuable trade chips.

To illustrate this, the Philadelphia 76ers gave KJ Martin a huge raise to $8M per season mainly so they can use him in a trade down the road. If Moody is willing to take a three-year deal at midlevel range instead of four years, that’s even more tradeable.

It’s still probably most likely that Moody and the team don’t reach a deal, and he heads into restricted free agency next summer. But Moody’s increased preseason minutes, plus the news that the two sides reportedly have a salary range in mind, means a rookie extension is a lot more likely than it seemed a few months ago.

Besides, if Moody is on a long-term deal, that might mean Kerr would have to find minutes for him, instead of finding excuses for not playing him in postgame pressers.