With the uncertainty of Jonathan Kuminga‘s future and their desire to upgrade their frontline, the Golden State Warriors could look into participating in a three-team trade centering on Julius Randle to address these issues, Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus suggested.
In Pincus’ hypothetical trade, the Warriors would get their top trade target — Chicago Bulls‘ former All-Star center Nikola Vučević — and Patrick Williams, who was selected three picks ahead of Kuminga in the 2020 NBA draft and on a cheaper rookie contract extension.
Golden State Warriors receive: Nikola Vučević (from Bulls), Patrick Williams (from Bulls), Torrey Craig (from Bulls), Talen Horton-Tucker (from Bulls), $9.1 million trade exception (Gary Payton II)
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Lonzo Ball (from Chicago Bulls), Buddy Hield (from Golden State Warriors), Julian Phillips (from Bulls), $2.9 million trade exception (Julius Randle)
Chicago Bulls receive: Julius Randle (from Timberwolves), Jonathan Kuminga (from Warriors), Kevon Looney (from Warriors), Kyle Anderson (from Warriors), Gary Payton II (from Warriors), Luka Garza (from Timberwolves), $20 million trade exception (Nikola Vučević), $2.8 million trade exception (Torrey Craig)
Pincus noted that the Timberwolves should execute Garza’s team option to continue through 2025-26 before they can make this hypothetical trade.
‘Cheaper’ Patrick Williams Should Give Warriors More Size
Williams signed a five-year, $90 million extension in the offseason, which pays him $18 million annually. As Pincus noted, “Williams’ salary would be lower than what Kuminga is expecting.”
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on November 1, 2024 that there was a $5 million gap between Kuminga and the Warriors in annual compensation during their failed rookie contract extension talks.
Kuminga was “aiming for” an average annual salary of $35 million while the Warriors were only willing to offer “around $30 million.”
While the Warriors can match any offer Kuminga could get in the open market since he’s a restricted free agent, dealing him now to get their trade target and take a flier on the untapped potential of Williams without giving up any of their draft capital might be better than going all the troubles of trying to retain Kuminga in the summer.
According to Pincus, Williams’ “size and athleticism would complement Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.”
The bulkier Williams is more defense-oriented than Kuminga.
Nikola Vučević is Warriors’ Top Trade Target
According to Marc Spears of Andscape, the Warriors prefer to trade for Vučević than Miami Heat‘s disgruntled star Jimmy Butler.
“I’m hearing that the Warriors literally want to go bigger than Jimmy Butler, and what I mean by that is they’re one of the most undersized teams in the league,” Spears said on the January 7 episode of the “NBA Today” on ESPN. “So they’re trying to get a big guy to go alongside Draymond Green. People on their list include Nikola Vučević, who has probably been the top guy on that list.”
The Warriors have one of the smallest frontlines in the league with no player taller than 6’9″ in their current rotation. They have a pair of 6-foot-9 traditional centers Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney and then there is the 6-foot-6 Green, who also plays small-ball center, especially in the lineups with both Wiggins and Kuminga
Vučević, who is a walking double-double machine with a soft shooting touch, should offset the loss of Kuminga’s scoring. The two-time All-Star center could easily become the Warriors’ second-best scorer next to Curry.
Vučević is averaging 20.3 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting a career-high 41.1% from the 3-point line. He’s also a willing passer, averaging 3.4 assists per game.
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Warriors Land Top Trade Target, New Starter for Jonathan Kuminga in 3-Team Trade Proposal