Realistic Trade Packages for Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga
The Golden State Warriors moved to 16-18 on the season when they coughed up an 18-point fourth-quarter lead against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
And despite the team winning his minutes by a team-high six points, 21-year-old Jonathan Kuminga sat the final 18 minutes of the game.
Roughly 12 hours later, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater dropped a bombshell report.
Now, that article doesn't explicitly mention a trade request, but it's not hard to find the dots between here and there.
A source "close to Kuminga" telling a national outlet that those 18 minutes were the "straw that broke the camel's back" puts real pressure on the organization, from the coaching staff to the front office.
And a trade might be the only way to alleviate that pressure.
So, with that in mind, let's look at some potential trade packages that would send Kuminga to a better situation for him while also salvaging what may be Golden State's Last Dance-like season.
Pistons Roll the Dice
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The Deal: Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green for Bojan Bogdanović, Alec Burks, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick
Kuminga is far from the only source of turbulence for the Golden State Warriors this season.
Draymond Green's indefinite suspension is reportedly nearing its end, but the team has actually been worse with him on the floor this season. And moving forward without the possibility of another incident like the chokehold on Rudy Gobert or the smack on Jusuf Nurkić's head has to be enticing.
Moving him and Kuminga for the Detroit Pistons' best veterans and at least a hint of recouped draft consideration makes sense for the Warriors.
Bojan Bogdanović is averaging 21.3 points and 2.6 threes while shooting 40.7 percent from deep since he joined the Pistons. Burks is at 12.0 points and 1.9 threes in 21.0 minutes, with a 39.6 three-point percentage, in the same span.
The Warriors would certainly have to change the way they play after a deal like this. A more pick-and-roll-centric attack with shooters like Bogdanović and Burks flanking the action would make sense. The team would be even more offense-reliant than before too.
But it wouldn't be hard for the Warriors to talk themselves into needing a genuine shake-up. This one could supercharge the team on one end of the floor for the rest of 2023-24 while also creating some potential flexibility. Burks is on an expiring contract, and Bogdanović's is only guaranteed for $2 million in 2024-25.
For Detroit, Draymond certainly doesn't fit the rebuilding timeline, but Kuminga does. He's just 21 years old, often looks like a young Amar'e Stoudemire when getting to the rim and is averaging a career-high 12.8 points. As a pick-and-roll partner for Cade Cunningham, he could make a lot of sense. If he can rediscover his outside shot from his first two seasons (when he was at 35.3 percent from deep), he could play off actions between Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
His potential is the reason the Pistons are including picks here. Well, that, Green's contract and the fact that it may take a little more convincing for Golden State to do an defense-for-offense deal like this.
Golden State would have to sell the Pistons on needing a competitive jolt in the wake of their historic 28-game losing streak too.
And if there's something Green has never lacked, it's competitiveness.
Raptors Continue the Rebuild
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The Deal: Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and a 2026 second-round pick (via Atlanta) for Pascal Siakam
The Toronto Raptors' haul for OG Anunoby (Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a second-round pick) suggests they may be more interested in a soft reboot with proven players than a total teardown based on draft picks.
This package helps Toronto accomplish that.
The emerging roster doesn't have as much shooting as the Raptors would likely want around Scottie Barnes, but the raw talent is intriguing.
Quickley, Barrett, Barnes, Kuminga and Jakob Poeltl (for now) would make up a starting five loaded with youth, athleticism and potential. And they'd have some time to figure out which pieces best fit with Barnes over the next couple seasons.
Kuminga is under contract with a team option for 2024-25, while Wiggins is on the books through 2026-27. If the latter breaks out of whatever slump he's been in all season, the Raptors might be able to reroute him to a contender for more rebuild-ready assets.
And given Atlanta's own volatility, that second-round pick could be a bit more valuable than most (kind of like the Detroit second Toronto got in the Anunoby deal).
For the Warriors, Siakam undoubtedly raises the short-term ceiling, but having him on an expiring contract certainly comes with some risk.
If things go well, he'd be expensive to re-sign. If not, Golden State could lose him for nothing and not have a ton of great options to fill that roster spot.
But Curry, Klay Thompson and Green are all post-prime. Potentially dangerous, win-now moves are justifiable when chasing whatever shot the Warriors might have at a fifth title in this era.
Cavaliers Reposition Evan Mobley
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The Deal: Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and a 2026 second-round pick (via Atlanta) for Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro
This one isn't as much of a favor to Kuminga as the first two. He'd probably be a reserve again with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but this move still serves both teams.
For Cleveland, it moves Evan Mobley to what is almost certainly the position where he'll reach his full potential. He's a 5. And his versatility there is more useful than it is at the 4.
The two-big lineup with Jarrett Allen still has some utility in today's NBA, but the Cavaliers would be a more dynamic offense with Draymond at power forward and Mobley at center (once he's back in action).
With those two, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus, Cleveland's starting five would be loaded with playmaking, scoring and defense.
For the Warriors, Allen would likely be the most dangerous pick-and-roll roll man Curry has ever played with. Designing an offense around those two and surrounding it with shooting would be a significant change for the read-and-react Warriors, but this season's struggles suggest it's time for a change.
As for Kuminga and Isaac Okoro, this is sort of a prove-it trade. The former is bigger and probably has more upside, but Okoro has had a positive defensive estimated plus-minus in each of the last two seasons. His three-point percentage has been around average over the last three seasons. And three-and-D potential makes sense around a Curry-Allen pick-and-roll.
So, why is Golden State also sending out a pick?
Green's contract is a potential burden, and at this point, Allen almost certainly has the most value of anyone involved here (even if there's plenty of intrigue around Kuminga).
Hawks Promote Onyeka Okongwu
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The Deal: Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins for Clint Capela and AJ Griffin
Like the Cavs with Mobley, the Atlanta Hawks have a young big man ready for a different role in Onyeka Okongwu.
He's a more versatile perimeter defender than Clint Capela, and making him the starting center would make Atlanta more dynamic on both ends of the floor.
And while Kuminga might not start right away for a Hawks team that has Jalen Johnson, De'Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey, he'd certainly have a chance at that spot in the frontcourt alongside Okongwu.
For Golden State, this deal checks the same box as the Cavs trade, even if Capela doesn't have the same upside as Allen.
The Warriors are tiny right now, and Capela would instantly juice their defense and rebounding.
AJ Griffin, meanwhile, has failed to meaningfully crack Atlanta's rotation this season, but he might actually make more sense for the Warriors than Kuminga long-term.
At 6'6", he has good size for a wing. And Golden State is better than most at deploying shooters. For his young career, Griffin has hit 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
Jazz Move Another Veteran
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The Deal: Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II for Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk has quietly been one of the league's most versatile big men coming off the bench for the Utah Jazz, where he's scoring, rebounding and passing at a rate few others are.
For a team that focuses so much on shooting, ball movement and player movement, Olynyk and his 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 0.8 threes in just 21.9 minutes would fit perfectly.
And given the way he's played since joining the Utah Jazz, an aggressive front office led by Danny Ainge might be thinking it'll get a first-round pick for him.
This deal obviously doesn't include that, but Kuminga is 11 years younger, fits the modern positionless mold and is exactly the kind of swing Utah should make. In fact, it wouldn't be crazy for Utah to be the team moving a second-round pick here.
Gary Payton II, who's here for salary-matching purposes, may not play a ton for a Utah team that's already logjammed in the backcourt, but Kuminga could easily slot in between Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.
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