The Warriors’ frontcourt is thin enough that a rookie’s sore foot is now a story. Yaxel Lendeborg is questionable with foot inflammation for Wednesday in Minnesota, and the team’s center plan collapsed before opening night when Kristaps Porziņģis stepped away.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a fix: Golden State receives Myles Turner and Ryan Rollins; Milwaukee receives Porziņģis, Moses Moody, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick swap. The deal holds up on the money and the calendar. It falls apart on Milwaukee.
The Money Works With Room to Spare
The Warriors are operating over the first tax apron, and a team above that line cannot take back more salary than it sends out. Porziņģis makes $19.51 million and Moody makes $12.5 million, so $32.01 million goes out. Turner’s 2026-27 cap hit is $26.58 million and Rollins carries $4 million, so $30.58 million comes back. The deal clears by about $1.43 million.
Buckley lists Turner’s salary higher, at $27.9 million. Even that figure clears, though only by about $112,000.
Golden State has little margin anywhere else. By using the taxpayer mid-level exception on De’Anthony Melton, the Warriors are hard-capped at the second apron, and their $219.76 million payroll leaves them roughly $1.9 million under that $221.69 million ceiling. A deal that cuts payroll is close to the only kind they can make, and this one does.
Nobody Has to Wait for December 15
That is unusual for late October. Several Warriors are ineligible to be traded until at least December 15, but Porziņģis isn’t one of them. His new deal was structured as a veteran extension with a raise small enough to avoid the six-month trade restriction that normally follows one, as Keith Smith of Spotrac noted when it was signed.
Moody is on a 2024 rookie-scale extension. Turner and Rollins both signed in July 2025. All four players are where Buckley puts them, and all four could be traded today.
Milwaukee Has Said No to the Centerpiece
Golden State’s interest is on record. Sam Amick and Nick Friedell of The Athletic reported that the Warriors have contacted the Bucks about a potential trade involving Porziņģis. The problem is the other side: the same report said the Bucks “aren’t believed to be interested in Porziņģis.”
It is worth being precise about what is reported and what isn’t. The contact is reported. Myles Turner’s name is not: he is Buckley’s choice of return, not a player any outlet has tied to those conversations.
Buckley’s fix is to add Rollins and picks until Milwaukee is interested. That is a guess at a price, and nothing reported so far shows the Bucks would accept it.
It Would Make Golden State Better, at a Real Cost
On talent, it is close to a straight upgrade this season. Porziņģis and Moody are both unavailable, and the Warriors would get two healthy rotation players for them. Rollins played 74 games last season and averaged 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals, and Turner arrives as a two-time blocks leader who shot about 38.9 percent from three across the past two seasons.
The early returns on Turner are worse. He is averaging 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 27.3 minutes, shooting 39.1% from the floor and 28.6% from 3-point range, though that is three games.
The bigger cost is the contract. Turner is owed $83.6 million through 2028-29, of which $54.4 million is guaranteed; the final year is not fully locked in. Rollins may also be short-term help, since he holds a $4 million player option for next season and will be looking for a raise.
Two firsts for a center on long money is a steep price. It is still the right price for a team built around Stephen Curry’s final years, and the Warriors should be willing to pay it.
The Deal Is Legal and Nobody Is Pursuing It
The salaries match, every player is eligible today, and the trade would help Golden State. But the one team that has to say yes has reportedly turned down the player the whole deal is built around. Until reporting shows Milwaukee changing its mind, this is Buckley’s pitch, not a live negotiation.
December 15 is the date that could change it. That is when the offseason signings become tradable and Golden State gets more ways to match a center’s salary without giving up Moody. A version that keeps Moody and adds draft capital fits the Warriors’ position better. Whether it changes Milwaukee’s answer is a separate question.
Sources: Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report; Sam Amick and Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Contract figures via Basketball-Reference; hard-cap status via Hoops Rumors.
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