With the recent buzz that the Golden State Warriors are in on a potential Jimmy Butler trade, one is left to wonder what this means for Jonathan Kuminga.
The Warriors seem reluctant to trade the budding star but also do not seem interested in offering him a max contract. He is a fine young player with the potential to be a great player in the NBA, but the Warriors seem hesitant to crown him as the second piece on a championship team next to Steph Curry.
No one outside of the organization knows where the front office stands on the situation, and they may not know internally either.
Golden State reportedly reached out to the Los Angeles Lakers to inquire about LeBron James’ availability during last year’s trade deadline, but Draymond Green claims Kuminga would have been a deal breaker.
“I said if it’s Kuminga, the answer is no,” Green told Taylor Rooks and Charles Barkley during a broadcast of the All-Star Game.
The Warriors were also very close to a sign-and-trade for Paul George this offseason, but again, the franchise was hesitant to let go of Kuminga in any deal with the Clippers.
Clearly, Golden State does not believe it is a championship team as currently constructed; otherwise, they would not desperately be looking to add another star player. At the same time, they have made it clear that Kuminga is not going anywhere right now.
It is starting to become a puzzling dynamic. On the one hand, the team wants to improve, but they view their only valuable trade piece as untouchable. Yet they do not want to commit to a max deal for that very same player they are unwilling to move off of.
The Warriors may want to see what he looks like this year as the undisputed second-most important player on the team before moving him or committing long-term. Whatever the case may be, all eyes will be on Kuminga this upcoming season.
