The Golden State Warriors have hit a notable and incredibly important juncture, with Jonathan Kuminga dethroning Draymond Green as the starting power forward (at least for the moment).
Kuminga's career-high 33 points on Thursday made everyone stand up and take notice, including Steve Kerr who rang Green about the possibility of the veteran coming off the bench upon his return from a two-game injury absence.
Green gave the move his blessing and so Kuminga started on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. More importantly, Kerr confirmed post-game that it's something they'll continue exploring over the foreseeable future.
Is this move just a ploy from the Warriors to increase Jonathan Kuminga's trade value?
Kuminga and Green may fill the same position, but they're completely different players. Green's not capable of going and doing what his younger teammate did against the Rockets on Thursday, yet neither is Kuminga capable of matching anywhere near the defensive impact of the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Combine that with Green's unmatched chemistry with superstar guard Stephen Curry, and you've got many fans wondering the true intentions behind this drastic move. Do Golden State really think they'll be better with a 22-year-old still largely unproven player in the starting lineup over a 4x champion, 4x All-Star and one of the great players in franchise history? The truth is that no one can definitively know until we see it play out.
Many fans are viewing this not as an on-court basketball decision, but as a strategic ploy to try and increase Kuminga's trade value for a potential move ahead of the February 6 deadline.
There's no doubt that this is much more about Kuminga than it is Green. Is the trade value aspect an important element in this entire situation? Yeah it is. Is it the primary motivation behind the decision? It's a rather pessimistic view to think that the Warriors -- currently with a winning record and in the playoff picture mind you -- would be prioritizing increasing a young player's trade value over winning games.
Golden State are taking a gamble to see if Kuminga, with the biggest opportunity he's ever been given, takes it firmly with two hands and becomes the player he's so often wanted to be. The Warriors need that second offensive star and before they find it elsewhere in the form of a trade, they want to find a resolute answer on whether the former seventh overall pick can be that player.
There's far more to this than just the on-court side of things, but as fans we need to have faith that the Warriors are doing this first and foremost with the hope that Kuminga delivers on the promise and talent. The ideal outcome is that he plays so well that he actually removes himself from trade discussions altogether, and that the front office moves to a position where they move heaven and earth to retain him as a restricted free agent during the offseason.
