As Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Golden State Warriors grows into the spotlight, there are already suggestions on how the franchise can make the most of an unfortunate situation if the young forward does indeed depart during the offseason.
As outlined here on Friday, the Warriors need to ensure they don't make the mistake of letting Kuminga walk without nothing in return, even if means getting less value than what some fans may otherwise expect.
3-team Jonathan Kuminga mock trade sees Warriors land prized pick
Even before Golden State start their playoff campaign against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, there's a major sign-and-trade proposal that pairs Kuminga with a former championship teammate.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey has suggested a three-team trade that sees Kuminga join Jordan Poole in Washington, while the Sacramento Kings are also involved amid the raft of questions that now face the franchise after their Play-In Tournament elimination.
While there's a lot to evaluate in considering whether all three parties would agree, let's simply look at it from a Warrior perspective with five players involved.
Warriors Receive: Corey Kispert, Jonas Valancuinas and a top five protected 2031 first-round pick from Washington
Warriors Lose: Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade), Buddy Hield and Trayce Jackson-Davis
Kispert is essentially a straight-swap for Buddy Hield, albeit with some slightly higher upside given he's much younger and is also three inches taller. If you remove those two from the equation, it's practically Valancuinas and a protected top five pick for Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
This doesn't feel like a great return initially given, as Bailey himself admits, Valancuinas doesn't particularly fit a Steve Kerr-system with his slow, post-up style of play. However, this mock trade really centers around the 2031 pick and whether the Warriors (and potentially others) believe that to be a prized future asset.
While the Wizards do have some strong young talent and are likely to add more this summer, they've won just three playoff series in the past 20 years. Perhaps Golden State believe that history will continue, and therefore that it could land as a pick anywhere between six and the end of the lottery.
If the Warriors have little interest in bringing back Kuminga on a big contract regardless, then adding a valuable future pick isn't the worst result. Combine that with their own future picks and the tradable contracts of Valancuinas and Kispert, and you have the means to go add another big piece at some point down the road.
Giving up Jackson-Davis in the trade isn't nothing, but at the same time the second-year center has fallen out of the rotation and now lies behind Quinten Post when it comes to the young big men Golden State should prioritize developing.
Summary
Considering they've just paid Jimmy Butler and have committed to the veteran trio of he, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors should probably be looking for a bigger swing, more win-now return in a Kuminga sign-and-trade.
Yet as mentioned above, this would give them the flexibility and a potentially crucial draft asset to go and make such a move further down the track depending on how next season starts out.
