Getty Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors reacts with Klay Thompson #11 after drawing his fifth foul against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Golden State Warriors have made Jonathan Kuminga untouchable in past trade talks but if there’s a deal that could help them maximize Stephen Curry‘s remaining championship window, they have to pull the trigger.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a trade that could make the Warriors revisit their thoughts about letting go of their exciting and ascending young swingman that better fit Curry’s timeline.
Golden State Warriors receive: Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanović
Atlanta Hawks receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and a 2026 first-round pick (top-five-protected)
“Golden State needs more athleticism, point-of-atDejountetack defense and shooting on the perimeter, and this deal would deliver all three. Murray is a former All-Defensive honoree who just had the best shooting season of his career (2.6 threes per outing with a 36.3 percent splash rate). Bogdanović makes things happen on or off the ball, and he processes the game at a high enough level to enjoy a seamless fit in this system,” Buckley wrote.
Kuminga and the first-round pick are the centerpieces of this trade. Wiggins, after his rapid regression over the last two seasons, might benefit from a change of scenery. Looney’s time with the Warriors has run its course. The writing’s on the wall after rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis supplanted him in Steve Kerr’s rotation.
Surrounding Curry with two-way players — a younger Murray replacing the declining Klay Thompson and Bogdanović leading the Warriors bench — could just be what the Warriors need to get back into contention in the strong Western Conference.
Jonathan Kuminga is ‘Pretty Much’ Untouchable
The Warriors remain steadfast in their belief in Kuminga, who is coming off a breakout season, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Kuminga is pretty much untouchable, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“Not at all,” Shelburne said on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” on May 8. “I think he’s pretty much—look, it’s gonna get complicated because of his extension talks and how much money they have but I think they’ll do everything they can to keep him. I mean, I don’t think they want to even talk about him.”
The 21-year-old Kuminga is extension-eligible this offseason. But with the Warriors trying to avoid being a second-apron team and even boldly declaring they would like to get out of the luxury tax, there will be tough decisions to be made on a roster that did not get past the play-in tournament.
Will the Warriors explore a Kuminga trade if he asks for his rookie max contract?
The 27-year-old Murray is in a more desirable cost-controlled contract with only $114 million owed to him over the next four seasons.
Kevon Looney, Warriors Likely to Part Ways
According to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Looney is the odd man out as the Warriors try to save on luxury tax penalties.
“I think the likeliest situation is that he’s cut, and he makes $3 million from them, and he’s off looking for another spot,” Kawakami said on the “Warriors Plus Minus” podcast on June 6.
Looney fell out of Kerr’s favor this season, just two years removed from his stellar play in the Warriors’ championship run in 2022. He received a DNP (Did Not Play) in eight of the Warriors’ final 21 games as his streak of consecutive games played ended at 290 during a March 8 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The 28-year-old center averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in a four-year low of 16.1 minutes per game this season.