It comes as no surprise that the Golden State Warriors want to trade Kristaps Porzingis, but when and for what type of player is in question.

Jake Fischer provided some hints Tuesday on a Bleacher Report Live stream.

"I can tell you unequivocally from my early outreach around the NBA and to Golden State that the Warriors certainly do want to move Kristaps Porzingis," Fischer said. "That is unequivocal. They are looking at him as essentially an expiring contract with only $3 million on the books for next season.

"And they are hoping to find a trade partner who will be willing to give them a player right now in exchange for salary relief."

Fischer added that he thinks the Warriors landing Lauri Markkanen would be far-fetched.

Using what Fischer said and my own reasoning, here is how I believe the Warriors are approaching a Porzingis trade.

Warriors Looking for Immediate Help

Porzingis is trade-eligible right now, and the Warriors certainly could use another rotation player while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody remain sidelined with long-term knee injuries.

I get the impression that they won't be waiting until the trade deadline in February to make a move.

That doesn't mean a trade is imminent, as most teams won't be ready to sell until mid-December. But don't be surprised if a Porzingis trade happens soon.

Dubs Are More Willing to Take on Long-Term Salary Than Trade Multiple 1st-Round Picks

Porzingis is essentially useless to another team unless he a) allows the receiving team to get off a long-term salary or b) comes with first-round draft capital in the trade package.

In theory, the Warriors could use Porzingis' salary and first-round picks to build a blockbuster trade package for a star like Trey Murphy III.

But the last time the Dubs traded multiple first-round picks was in 2013 (to acquire Andre Iguodala). It would be surprising if they give up two-plus (even if they would be justified doing so for Murphy).

What's more likely is that they take on a player who a) is under contract for at least the next two years and b) isn't a cornerstone.

Nicolas Claxton is a great example. The Bulls might want more cap space in the 2027 offseason, so they could be motivated to trade Claxton so they don't have to pay his $21.1 million 2027-28 salary.

Trading Porzingis and 1 First-Round Pick Might Be Sweet Spot

Giving Porzingis a contract this offseason was risky considering his recent health issues, but the Warriors knew that even in a worst-case scenario (that is actually happening right now with Porzingis being out indefinitely), they were "preserving the salary slot."

For those unaware of that term, it means that the Warriors wouldn't have been able to pay another player $20 million if they lost Porzingis. So by giving him that contract, they gave themselves a great money-matching salary for a trade.

The optics of letting Porzingis take up a roster spot while not playing for the rest of the season would be awful.

Of course the Warriors would love to trade him for a decent player AND keep all of their draft capital, but the chances of that are slim.

The main reason for this is most players making $20 million-ish over multiple seasons aren't viewed as having albatross contracts.

The Dubs are likely realizing right now that they will have to attach one first-round pick to incentivize another team to make a deal.

Once the Warriors make it clear they are willing to give up a first (probably a very lightly protected 2027 first), teams will have interest. The hope would be that they could get Myles Turner for that package, but if it's not enough, they could settle for a player in the Claxton tier.

Before the season, I questioned whether the Warriors would even be interested in trading one first-round pick to help this team.

But team governor Joe Lacob's recent comments on how Yaxel Lendeborg has changed their trajectory make me think they will give up one future draft asset for the right player.