Getty Kuminga and Podziemski going for a rebound.
The Golden State Warriors offseason could see them pair Stephen Curry with a new co-star. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed a trade to help them with that in a deal involving Jonathan Kuminga and more to the Utah Jazz for Lauri Markkanen.
Warriors would get: Markkanen
Jazz would get: Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick
Buckley wrote that while Kuminga might be nearly untouchable, Markkanen is the type of talent that could have Golden State move him.
“Markkanen is that type of talent. And while he’d effectively erase Golden State’s asset collection—pick swaps could be needed to get this done—it might be worth it to give Curry another shot at the crown.” Buckley wrote on June 19. “An offense featuring those two with Draymond Green connecting the dots feels impossible to stop. Plus, Markkanen, 27, is young enough that if he stuck around, he could help form the foundation of the franchise’s post-Curry era.
“The Warriors would need to jump through financial hoops to make this mesh with the collective bargaining agreement, but given their stated desire of cutting costs, that shouldn’t be much of an obstacle.”
‘I Think They’ll Do Everything’ to Keep Jonathan Kuminga
The Golden State Warriors have young talent in Kuminga, Moody, and Podziemski, but Kuminga has shown the most potential for the future.
The 2023-24 season saw him as a starter for 46 of the 74 games he played, averaging 26.3 minutes per contest. He almost doubled his point total at 16.1 points per game and averaged a career-high in rebounds and assists.
In the league for three years already, Kuminga is also still just 21 years old. With Curry, 36, the Warriors eventually have to plan for the future without him. Kuminga could be a big part of that.
In an episode of “Willard and Dibs,” Ramona Shelburne was asked to what extent Kuminga would be on the table.
“Not at all,” Shelburne said in March. “I think he’s pretty much—look, it’s gonna get complicated because of his extension talks and how much money they have and 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.”
Instead of moving Kuminga in a possible deal during the offseason, Shelburne pointed to the Warriors’ other assets.
“They have a pretty good set of assets,” Shelburne said. “There’s some other good young players on the team outside a Kuminga. They have draft picks, they have Wiggins, they have Gary Payton II. Thay have a lot of a lot of options there. They have a lot of optionality and decent contracts.”
Would Moving Kuminga for Lauri Markkanen Make Sense?
Not only would Markkanen be a championship piece for the Golden State Warriors next season, but the Finland native is still young enough to be a massive part of the future when Curry retires.
If they’re going to move Kuminga, trading him for a 27-year-old All-Star who averaged 23.2 points and shot 39.9% from 3-point range on eight attempts per game could make sense.
Markkanen has a unique skill set given that he’s seven feet tall and can shoot the basketball at an elite level.
Tim Kawakami of The Athletic wrote that Markkanen’s skill set is the “perfect big-man match for Draymond” and that his age would help carry the next era for the Warriors.
“Markkanen’s skill set (career 37.5 percent from deep) is just about the perfect big-man match for Draymond, and Markkanen is definitely young enough to help carry the Warriors into the next era, too,” Kawakami wrote on May 21.
It’d be a risk trading all of their young players and two picks, but it could lead to a big reward if the Warriors win another championship.