We have seen all the greatest hits of Golden State Warriors trade interest brought back to the fore in the last few weeks, as the fact that the Dubs missed out on their one big potential summer addition–LeBron James–has caused exasperation among the locals. Most, or at least a loud minority, feel the team is being too cautious, and an inability to land players in whom the Warriors expressed interest, mostly top-tier stars like Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, is in the process of being relitigated.
But a chat with an NBA executive helped sprout a germ of an idea of what the Warriors could still get done despite having hit a dead end in their chase for star players. That’s because the executive was talking about one player, Herb Jones of the Pelicans, in whom Golden State had shown interest at the deadline but has not gained much traction for the team as a trade target.
Herb Jones Asking Price Is High
Jones is something of an odd case, but that’s mostly because of how New Orleans is approaching trade talks on him–and the Pelicans remain an unpredictable bunch. The team has vacillated between saying Jones is off limit on the trade market to saying that Jones could be had for packages of two or three first-round picks. There is a limit to how high the Warriors would go to get a player. Multiple picks for Jones would not make sense.
Around the league, Jones is seen as a depressed asset, with a shoulder injury two years ago that held him to 20 games and seems to have damaged his accuracy as a shooter. Jones shot 41.8% from the arc in 76 games in 2023-24, but in the past two seasons, that has plummeted to 30.8% in 76 games. The Pelicans don’t agree.
“He should be a realistic trade guy for a lot of teams,” the executive said. “That’s one I don’t get because he clearly has injuries and he has had a hard time the last two years but the way he is treated in New Orleans, it is like he is coming off an All-Star year. Give them credit, they have been willing to keep the price high for a while now. But he’d be better off somewhere else, they’ve just got to lower the price tag there.”
Warriors Could Make Herb Jones Move
That’s where the Warriors could easily enter the bargaining for Jones, with a deal built around Moses Moody and a first-round pick. The Pelicans are getting much better offers, of course, for star guard Trey Murphy, and the Warriors expressed interest in trades for both Murphy and Jones back at the trade deadline. The price for Murphy is still in the 3-4 first-round pick range.
But Jones can be had for less, and could make sense for the Warriors. The salaries would work, and Moody is a young player who could help the Pelicans when he is healthy again.
Herb Jones Could Be a Good Warriors Addition
Jones is a similar player to Moody, except that he is bigger (6-foot-7) and of course, he is healthy going into 2026-27. Moody has a torn patellar tendon in his knee and might not return until after next year’s All-Star break. Jones is on a $15 million contract, but that blooms into a three-year, $69 million contract after this season.
That’s one reason the market is not robust for him.
Moody is well-liked and it would not be a massively popular decision in the Warriors locker room to trade him. But the team has given no indication it is trading Jimmy Butler as he recovers from an ACL tear. Jones is not Butler, but he could help the Dubs fill the gap until he returns. It’s not a blockbuster, but it would make Golden State better.
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