The Golden State Warriors are off to an electric 10-2 start and exceed expectations to be a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in second place in the Western Conference standings.

A major question has been raised about whether the Warriors are more or less likely to explore a trade before the Feb. 6 deadline – will the front office be more aggressive because they appear closer to contention than most thought, or will they hesitate to to tamper? with the chemistry, atmosphere and form that have been so impressive so far?

The answer to that question right now appears to be the former, at least according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst earlier this week. Bontemps stated this “Scouts and executives have identified Golden State and Houston as the two teams most likely to make a splash.”

After attempting to acquire both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen during the offseason, the Warriors have retained all of their young talent and future draft picks with the potential to use that in a trade.

Young guard Brandin Podziemski got used to his name in trade talks throughout the Markkanen saga, and according to Bontemps, he might want to get used to it.

“It’s good that Podziemski was able to learn this summer about using his name in trade talks because it’s going to happen again this season,” said Bontemps.

Bontemps wasn’t suggesting Podziemski would be traded, but the fact is that despite an indifferent start to the season, he remains Golden State’s most valuable young player. Fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga could also be included in the discussions, but his impending free agency will hinder his trade value somewhat.

Podziemski’s shooting hasn’t quite panned out yet this season, with last year’s All-Rookie First Team member averaging 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 39.6% shooting from the floor and 20% from three-point range.

Despite the shooting woes, Podziemski’s effectively remained in second place for the Warriors, plus-minus behind superstar Stephen Curry. The youngster also delivered one of the highlights of the season on Friday when he sensationally prevented the ball from going out of bounds and perfectly found a running Kuminga for a dunk, all in one sequence.

Podziemski has battled a broken nose and illness through the first 12 games of this season, and according to Bontemps, the Warriors reportedly remain very high on the 21-year-old.