3 Jonathan Kuminga Trades That Could Help the Warriors This Season

The Golden State Warriors find themselves at another contract standstill heading into the 2024-25 season, this time with up-and-coming forward Jonathan Kuminga.

According to Jak Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Kuminga is reportedly seeking a maximum contract extension with the Warriors. However, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on Thursday that Golden State isn’t willing to offer the 21-year-old a max deal.

Kuminga had a breakout third season in 2023-24, averaging a career-high 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He showcased development especially as a downhill attacker and finisher at the rim, as well as a point-of-attack defender. But despite his growth, there are still some clear holes in his game, particularly with his shot creation on the perimeter.

Golden State has until October 21 to ink the 6-foot-7 forward to a new deal. If both sides are unable to find common ground, Kuminga will enter restricted free agency in July.

The Warriors do have some leverage with Kuminga since they could match any potential offer sheet he signs next summer. But not offering him the max could be an indication they aren’t as sold on the 21-year-old currently.

Golden State will continue to have championship aspirations as long as Stephen Curry is on the roster. Curry is still one of the best players in the NBA. But at 36 years old, the clock is ticking on the four-time NBA champion and the Warriors currently don’t have a roster built to win a title.

Golden State could explore trades involving Jonathan Kuminga to get the two-time NBA MVP more immediate help this season. Here are three potential deals that could help the Warriors.

Trade for Jarrett Allen from the Cavaliers

Warriors add size with former All-Star

Despite Steve Kerr’s affinity for small ball, the Warriors’ need for more size has always been heavily emphasized. And their lack of it has hurt them over the last couple of seasons.

If the Warriors aren’t willing to pay Kuminga, they might be more willing to bring in a former All-Star big man who earns roughly $20 million a season. With this deal, Golden State trades Kuminga alongside De’Anthony Melton and a 2025 First Round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers to bring in Jarrett Allen.

This deal cannot be done until late January, since Allen just signed an extension. But in the case that both teams aren’t performing well at that point, they could explore a shake-up by doing this trade.

Kuminga gives the Cavaliers an athletic forward who could add a new dynamic to their offense. His addition — and Allen’s subtraction — will finally slot Evan Mobley into the five position, where he could flourish, especially with his rim protection.

Meanwhile, Allen finally gives the Warriors a real big man and an interior threat who can anchor their defense inside the paint. Allen is by no means a floor spacer, but he has displayed solid passing chops from the post, which makes him a good fit in the Warriors offense.

Trade for Jimmy Butler from the Heat

Golden State is reportedly interested in six-time All-Star

After losing out on Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in the offseason, the Warriors have seemingly turned their attention to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

Butler and the Heat haven’t exactly seen eye-to-eye this offseason as Miami does not appear to keen on handing the 35-year-old star a contract extension. The six-time All-Star is under contract until the 2025-26 season, in which he holds a player option worth $52.4 million.

The Warriors sort of find themselves in the same boat with Kuminga, who is looking for a big payday. Perhaps Heat president may be willing to invest in a young up-and-coming star in Kuminga. Butler, meanwhile, is more in line with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s timeline.

With that, the Warriors could look to cash in on Butler with this trade that involves a lot of moving parts.

By parting ways with Butler, the Heat can focus on building around Bam Adebayo, who is fresh off an Olympic Gold medal win with Team USA this past summer. They get a promising 21-year-old who has a high ceiling and could take the next step in Miami’s environment.

Wiggins had a down season overall in 2023-24, but he did trend in the right direction near the end of the campaign. At 29 years old, he is still in the prime of his career. Moreover, Miami also gets a couple of expiring contracts in Payton and Looney and a young forward in Gui Santos.

This trade benefits Golden State as well this season. Butler is obviously the main prize, but the Warriors also get a couple of depth pieces in Alec Burks and Thomas Bryant, which makes up for the loss of Looney and Payton.

Butler, meanwhile, gets a better chance to compete for a championship playing alongside a top-10 player in Curry. He will provide the Warriors with another shot creator and playmaker who can alleviate some of the offensive load off of Curry.

Moreover, Butler is a proven playoff performer.

But there are concerns with his health as of late, as he has been unable to stay consistently on the floor throughout the course of a season.

Nonetheless, this is still a gamble worth taking for Golden State, who is maximizing whatever is left of Steph Curry’s prime.

Kawhi Leonard Trade With the Clippers

Dubs swing big for oft-injured superstar

This is likely the longest long shot of them all — a Kawhi Leonard trade that brings the two-time NBA Finals MVP to Golden State. There’s no knowing what the Los Angeles Clippers’ stance is towards Leonard, especially after Paul George departed town this past summer.

But if the Clippers don’t believe Leonard, given his injury history, can no longer lead this group to a championship, they could potentially explore trading the NBA champion. If he becomes available, the Warriors can try to swing this deal to Los Angeles.

The Warriors are giving up a ton in this deal. But if they want to have a chance to go down swinging, this might be the kind of deal that can give them a puncher’s chance of giving Stephen Curry another shot at a fifth NBA championship.

A pairing of Curry and Leonard would be deadly. Leonard had a healthy regular season. He appeared in 68 games with averages of 23.7 points and 6.5 rebounds on elite 53-42-89 shooting splits. His strong campaign earned him a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.

Unfortunately, his injuries persisted during the postseason. He appeared in just two games in their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks. His absence was a key reason why the Clippers had another disappointing early round exit this past season.

Nonetheless, as mentioned, this may be the kind of gamble the Warriors must be willing to make if they want to go all in on winning a title.

The last team that traded for Leonard went on to win an NBA championship. The Warriors know about that. Perhaps history could repeat itself, this time, in favor of Golden State.