Moses Moody Stuck in Rock Between Hard Place

Restricted free agency is as dangerous for the player as is safe for the franchise. Unlike in past years, when teams were hit with the "poison pill" contract, many restricted free agents now face an inevitable, slow burn of lowered value. The contract extension is as crucial as it's ever been. Moses Moody is currently in the former scenario. Will he become something more important to the Golden State Warriors?

At 22, Moody is in a peculiar spot. He's not a focal point of the Warriors, but he also has enough talent to maintain a place in Steve Kerr's rotation and has the potential to become more on another franchise. Moody averaged 8.1 on average advanced shooting metrics.

The Arkansas native seems like a player scratching the surface but not precisely bursting to the stars if he releases from his position.

In the contract year of his rookie deal, looking restricted free agency in the face like a starting game, the Warriors have yet to blink on an extension. Instead, the Warriors have Moody at $5.8 million.

What is Moody's destination with the Warriors? Is he part of the youth movement that the franchise balances, especially after the 2022 NBA Finals?

At the moment, Moody appears to be an inevitable trade filler.

Related: Andrew Wiggins' Defense Worth Contract?

Although Mike Dunleavy Jr. talks as if he's content with the roster, a time will come when that fork in the road forces the Warriors general manager to either go all in with youth, as in blowing up the roster of veterans aside from Stephen Curry, or bend to the veteran's whim and trade everything for a star, so the franchise cornerstone will have a competitive team until he retires.

Is Moody a part of either future for the Warriors?