
Could Warriors use Jonathan Kuminga in a Jimmy Butler deal?
NBA trade season officially started after the Golden State Warriors acquired Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets for De’Anthony Melton, guard Reece Beekman and three second-round draft picks. The addition of Schroder will give the Warriors a much-needed boost off the bench, especially as they’ve gone just 3-7 in their last 10 games.
The Warriors and Nets kicked off this season’s transaction cycle, but it’s just the beginning as teams prepare to make moves leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. There will be countless rumors between now and then, as championship contenders try to bolster their rotations, while tanking teams try to sell players in hopes of helping their draft lottery position next summer.
As the action ramps up, here’s a look around the league at some of the latest rumors.
Warriors still weighing options on Kuminga
Golden State sent an inconsequential package to the Nets to land one of the better backup guards in the league in Schroder. But that deal could’ve been more attention-grabbing had the Warriors tried to land another player on the Nets roster. According to Marc Stein, the Warriors would have needed to include Jonathan Kuminga if they wanted to land both Schroder and Cameron Johnson. Obviously that didn’t happen, but it sheds light into some of those negotiations before that deal was finalized.
It also gives us some clarity on how the Warriors view Kuminga on the trade market — right now, at least. They’ve been adamant in the past about not wanting to trade him, most notably when the team was trying to acquire Lauri Markkanen this past summer. And he’s been given a bigger role offensively lately, as he’s started in six of Golden State’s last seven games.
That doesn’t mean Kuminga is still off limits, but rather that the Warriors didn’t want to unload him in a trade just yet. There’s been reports that Golden State is looking to add an All-Star caliber player alongside Stephen Curry, and they would surely need to include Kuminga in any deal to get that type of player. Someone like Jimmy Butler, who reportedly has the Warriors on a short list of teams he’d prefer to get traded to, would be the level of player the Warriors are looking for. And if they feel like landing Butler is a possibility, keeping Kuminga for a bigger move makes sense.