Getty Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody pose for pictures during Golden State Warriors Media Day 2022.
When the Golden State Warriors come up in trade chatter on social media and around the hoops blogoshpere, the conversation largely centers on complementary pieces; players who can add depth or serve in some specific function in support of the club’s dynastic core.
But what if extra help, depth and/or role players aren’t actually what the Dubs need? Sure, the Steph-Klay-Dray core just brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to the Bay, but what if that group has actually run its course? What if another heavy hand is needed at this point?
Between age, injuries and the actual monetary price of keeping all of those players on the same roster, Golden State may just be better served reworking its foundation. And while the current two-timeline plan is fun to talk about, there’s a chance that none of the Wiseman-Moody-Kuminga triumvirate are actually close to assuming such a role.
So, rather than counting on any of them to pick up the baton — or even help the oldies get one last win from the background — it may actually behoove the Warriors to forgo incremental additions in favor of a homerun swing.
If they did decide to go down that road, Bleacher Report‘s Dan Favale has an idea about the player they could use to reel a big fish in a blockbuster trade play.
Jonathan Kuminga Is Warriors’ ‘Best Blockbuster Trade Asset’
For Favale’s latest mega-feature, the hoops scribe sought to identify the one player or asset on every team in the Association that could potenmtially be used to procure something significant in a blockbuster move. Where the Warriors were concerned, the analyst went with former No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga.
Wrote Favale:
Jonathan Kuminga is the no-brainer pick for the Golden State Warriors.
Maaaybe a few teams would prefer their 2026 first-rounder. The Dubs’ current core has to age (or price itself) out at some point. But there are no assurances Golden State will be terrible. Perhaps Stephen Curry plays forever. James Wiseman could pan out. Jordan Poole might become less of a roller coaster.
Or, more likely, Kuminga could develop into a certified building block for the Warriors, the player most responsible for extending or reinventing their window beyond the Prime Steph Era.
Operating under that assumption, Favale believes that “sellers should want to get their hands on [Kuminga].”
Kuminga Is Close to Making His On-Court Return
After a particularly slow start to the campaign — one that saw him fall out of the rotation for a hot minute — Kuminga has reemerged as an important piece to the Dubs’ pie. Alas, just as he was beginning to heat up, the baller fell prey to a right foot sprain which, as of this writing, has cost him six straight games.
However, the 20-year-old baller looks to be on the verge of making a comeback. Last Thursday, Kuminga returned to practice for the first time since sustaining his injury during a bout with the Portland Trail Blazers back on December 30.
“It was good to see JK out there today,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the session, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’ll dress each day and hopefully be able to play before too long.”
In 33 games this season, Kuminga is averaging 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest while posting an effective field-goal percentage of 51.3.