1 overreaction trade The Warriors have to aim in the middle of the slide

The Golden State Warriors entered the 2025-26 season aiming to be a championship contender. If not for a Stephen Curry’s hamstring injury in the second round of last season’s playoffs, they may have made it to the Western Conference Finals. That’s how good the team has been since bringing in Jimmy Butler in February.

But they didn’t get off to the best start to the new campaign. It all looked like sunshine and butterflies for the Warriors in their first two games, as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, but they ran into some trouble on the road — losses to the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks, the injured Indiana Pacers for both games (Curry).

And now they have lost three of their last five games. They are now 7-6 on the season, not the ideal start they must have envisioned heading into the campaign. A strong win over the up-and-coming San Antonio Spurs should give the team some good vibes, but still, some issues need to be addressed.

That’s it not like the Warriors to panic after a slow start. They’ve bided their time over the past few seasons, pulling traps only when absolutely necessary. It even bothered the Dubs front office to trade Andrew Wiggins, a beloved member of their 2022 title-winning team, in the deal that landed them Butler.

This Dubs front office has always wanted to work with their core. So no one should expect them to be aggressive in the trade market amid their uneven start.

But if they were to make a move, they should prioritize adding someone more defensively oriented on the wing.

The Warriors grab help from the lowly Pelicans

Warriors gain: Herb Jones

Pelicans gain: Moses Moody2026 GSV first round pick

(Trading is only legal after January 14, 2026)

When the Warriors acquired Butler back in February, it seemed to give the team a boost of motivation. From the trade deadline onward, the Dubs have set the best defense in the league, allowing just 109.3 points per 100 possessions. They went 23-9 to end the campaign, and went from a fringe playoff team to a dark horse.

If it hadn’t been for a tailbone injury for Butler and a hamstring injury for Curry, that Warriors team probably could have made it to the Western Conference Finals.

But this season was a different story. There seems to be a lethargy that plagues the entire team, and it comes through in their execution on offense. They are sloppy with the basketball for long stretches, and rely so much on the rebound that they have struggled to find any kind of rhythm so far – especially with Curry missing a few games here and there due to illness.

The Warriors still pose little threat in the paint, with their big men tied to the ground or spaced out. Butler does his best to drive to the basket, but at 36 years old, it would take its toll over 82 games. Jonathan Cumminga has been struggling with the loss, which has hampered what has been such a strong start to the new campaign for the man with a new contract.

But their offensive issues are largely fixable. Theirs rank 22 in offensive rating (at just 113.2 points per 100 possessions) should get better over time, especially when Curry hits his stride this year, as do Al Horford and Buddy Hield.

Getting yourself together mentally is also important; falls prey to prioritizing personal agendas will only lead to even worse results than the Warriors if this continues.

One thing that would help the Warriors is getting a player who knows their roles and sticks to what they do best – hence this overreaction trade for New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones.

Jones hasn’t been very good this season, that should be clear. But who was actually on the Pelicans’ roster? They’ve struggled to start the new campaign at 2-9, which is awful considering they owe their first-round pick next year to the Atlanta Hawks.

Jones is the exact type of player any contending team would want on the roster. But with the Pelicans so far from the playoffs, it might make sense for the 27-year-old 3-and-D wing to finally hit the market. If that happens, the Warriors should be all over him.

Unlike the rest of the Warriors’ roster, Jones is a no-nonsense player who will rarely, if ever, do anything outside of his 3-and-D role. In the NBA, sometimes it’s more important for an individual to recognize what they can’t do and accept it instead of forcing the problem. Jones understands that, which is why he’s thrived for the Pelicans since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2021.

Jones will defer to the likes of Curry and Butler, take on the toughest perimeter matchups every night and shoot open shots — that’s all he does, and the Warriors will love him for it.

This is not to say that Moody isn’t a valuable player for the Warriors or that he is to blame for their recent struggles. But Moody isn’t exactly someone who’s earned the steady trust of head coach Steve Kerr. He’s also shooting over 43 percent from beyond the arc, but his defensive value pales in comparison to Jones’.

Jones’ Achilles heel used to be his three-point shooting. But that is no longer the case either. He’s shooting 44.2 percent from three to start the 2025-26 campaign, as he’s no longer someone defenses can dare to shoot from deep.

There may be some slip on the defensive end for the hapless Pelicansbut being in a winning environment with winning players around him and an experienced coaching staff leading the way, he should return to being one of the most devastating defenders in the league – sparing Butler and Green some of the tougher matchups on the perimeter, at least in the regular season.

Improving defense could also be a way for the Warriors to get out in transition more often and grease the wheels on offense.