The Golden State Warriors are coming off a season that saw success, but some may feel they had bad luck down the stretch. They started the season as one of the hottest teams in the league, but found themselves as the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference at their lowest point.
It was then that general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. knew a change had to be made. In his first season without Klay Thompson, Curry was asked to carry even more of the scoring load. While it worked early in the season, it was clear that he was wearing down. To address that, Dunleavy Jr. sent Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson to the Miami Heat in exchange for Jimmy Butler, who then helped them to a 23-7 record while in the lineup.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler.
© David Gonzales
East team has "legitimate interest" in Jonathan Kuminga after missing out on Kevin Durant
With Butler's help, the Warriors made it to the NBA Playoffs after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Play-In Tournament. One player who was noticeably missing for many of those games was Jonathan Kuminga, who Steve Kerr had benched down the stretch of the regular season. However, after Curry went down in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves, Kerr called upon Kuminga.
The Warriors went on to lose the series 4-1. However, Kuminga averaged 26.3 points per game over the final three games of the series, which likely boosted his stock before becoming a restricted free agent.
Based on a recent report from Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors could be doing business once again with a familiar trade partner.
"The Miami Heat have "legitimate interest in Jonathan Kumings, per Slater.
While Kuminga is a restricted free agent, the Warriors will have the opportunity to match any contract that another team can offer him. Even though Kuminga and Kerr haven't always seen eye-to-eye, it's unlikely the Warriors would let Kuminga go for nothing in return.
That begs the possibility of a sign-and-trade. Considering Dunleavy Jr. and Heat general manager Andy Elisburg have worked with each other on a sizable deal in the past, it makes it much more likely they could get a deal done, depending on just how bad Miami wants Kuminga.