Getty Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole reacts during a playoff bout with the LA Lakers.
The Golden State Warriors are going through what is arguably their biggest change since Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn. Bob Myers — the GM and president for the entirety of the team’s dynastic run — is riding off into the sunset and Mike Dunleavy Jr. will assume control of Golden State’s basketball operations.
Dunleavy won’t be afforded the luxury of a soft landing in his new charge. The 2023 NBA Draft is taking place in a matter of days and, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears, the first-time GM is receiving trade inquiries on a pair of key players as well.
“Golden State is also getting calls on [Jonathan] Kuminga, they’re getting calls on Jordan Poole,” Spears reported on NBA Today. “They have the 19th pick in next week’s draft. So Mike Dunleavy Jr. isn’t getting no training wheels going into this job.”
While league execs are always having conversations about potential deals, this intel leads one to believe that it could be an eventful summer for Dunleavy.
The Warriors Have a Jordan Poole Conundrum
Poole and Kuminga are somewhat in the same boat of having seen their roles and minutes shrink during the postseason. For the former, though, the drop-off was dramatic as he went from logging 30-plus minutes nightly during the regular season to 21.8 minutes per outing in the playoffs.
In turn, his output dropped from 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game and an effective field-goal percentage of 51.4 before the postseason to 10.3 PPG, 3.5 APG and an eFG% of 40.0 during it.
He didn’t handle the change particularly well, either.
With all of that being the case, some have wondered whether the Dubs ought to explore Poole’s trade market. To that end, the four-year, $128 million extension he was given before the 2022-23 season could act as a significant hurdle in the event that the team decided it was time to move on.
If Dunleavy is already receiving trade calls, though, it would seem that some kind of deal is at least within the realm of possibility.
On the other hand, Poole played a key role in the Warriors’ 2022 title run. Also: he’s a gifted creator offensively and, as he’s still just 23 years old, there may be additional steps forward that he can take. Giving up on him now could come back to bite the Dubs in a big, bad way.
Jonathan Kuminga May Be the Team’s Most Tradeable Asset
Although Kuminga’s spot in the Dubs hierarchy had fluctuated even before the playoff run, his rookie-scale deal, elite athleticism and two-way upside as a 20-year-old combine to put him in a different category from Poole where tradeability is concerned.
The idea that teams would be calling Golden State about him is hardly surprising.
What is surprising, though — even as he has failed to lock down a consistent spot in head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation — is that the Warriors are apparently weighing the merits of a Kuminga trade internally.
“Sources tell ESPN the Warriors are also exploring the option of acquiring a high draft pick in exchange for a young prospect such as Jonathan Kuminga,” reported draft guru Jonathan Givony.
After the All-Star Break — when Andrew Wiggins was away from the Warriors and the team was also dealing with a number of injuries — Kuminga averaged 13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 57.2% from the floor and 44.0% from three-point range.
If Dunleavy wants a better pick or an opportunity to land another high-level veteran, it’s probably safe to assume that Kuminga’s name would come up in those negotiations.