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Warriors Predicted To Add Big Man Off Butler Injury, Kuminga Rumors

Golden State Warriors trade rumors, Jonathan Kuminga trade rumors, demands trade, Steve Kerr Kuminga relationship, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler ACL injury, Warriors NBA mock draft, Hannes Steinbach NBA Draft profile prospect, Warriors news

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With uncertainty on Jonathan Kuminga trade rumors after Jimmy Butler's ACL injury, the Golden State Warriors could add a new center for help.

If Golden State Warriors‘ head coachSteve Kerr‘s comments about the franchise being afading dynasty weren’t true a few weeks ago,Jimmy Butler‘s torn ACL points to that beingtrue.

With Butler now out for the season, questions still surroundingJonathan Kuminga trade rumors, and the overall uncertainty of the team moving forward, all whileStephen Curry continues to play at an All-NBA level, the Warriors have a lot to address.

Though they don’t have any reported answers on any of those issues, Golden State would wait until the summer to get a better picture of what their future looks like, and that could be adding talent through the NBA Draft.

Writing for Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman had afull two-round mock draft, in which the Warriors selectedHannes Steinbach from Washington with the 19th overall pick.

In his freshman season, the 19-year-old center is putting up strong averages of 17.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 18 games on 55.% shooting.

Warriors Predicted To Pick Hannes Steinbach In Mock Draft

Though still halfway through his likely only collegiate season, Steinbach has proven to be one of thebest big men in the country. If the Warriors did choose to take him, with whatever pick they had, they would hope he would be an addition to the aging frontcourt ofAl Horford andDraymond Green, neither of whom has been anything close to their peaks this season.

“Hannes Steinbach has consistently produced off his combination of size, soft hands, post game and offensive rebounding,” Wasserman wrote onthe German prospect. “But it’s the flashes of face-up footwork, athleticism in the open floor and three-point range that separates him from the other center prospects.”

In his mock draft, Wasserman compared Steinbach toMoe Wagner of theOrlando Magic. A solid big man who has strong rebounding ability, but with some questions on defense.The prospect is also a bit skinny, and he has some questions about his potential on the defensive end of the floor, butputting up 0.9 blocks and one steal agame, there’s always room for improvement.

“There are still some questions about the value of a 6’11” big who blocks under one shot per game,” he added. “The lack of defensive upside likely caps Steinbach’s ceiling and keeps him from moving further up draft boards.”

With the Warriors’major concerns, there is the chance that they somehow fallinto the lottery, and have thechance to pick in the top 14, and even the top ten, but for now, adding a center like Steinbach could be beneficial next to Curry and whoever else is on the roster next season.

Jonathan Kuminga Trade Rumors Amid Jimmy Butler Injury

Golden State’s season, and subsequent future, got flipped on its head Monday night whenButler suffered a torn ACL. They were already struggling, still out of the playoffs, but with his absence, the next few years of the franchise look pretty bleak.

Shams Charania

Breaking: Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has suffered a season-ending torn right ACL, sources tell ESPN.

Just days before that,Kuminga had officially demanded a trade, after a long saga with the franchise that didn’t see him get put into a game by Kerr in more than a month.

However, whileit was reported by multiple sources that theWarriors are still searching the trade market for a Kuminga trade, the Butler injury put him back in Kerr’s rotation, whether he wanted to make that move or not.

Anthony Slater

Steve Kerr said Jonathan Kuminga “could be part of the rotation after Jimmy Butler’s season-ending injury: “At this point we have to experiment a little with rotations.”

On Tuesday night againstToronto,Kuminga played 21 minutes and had 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists on 70% shooting in what was a solid boost for his trade value. While he was putting up similar numbers to start the season, his reportedly ‘beyond repair‘ relationship with Kerr played a part in his benching. But now, he’s back, for the time being.

The Warriors have had their eyes onseveral players as the trade deadline approaches, but there is no clear answer on whether they will move on from the 23-year-old or not, especially after Butler’s injury. Signs point to yes, consideringhow much of a strain he has put on the franchise, but with their uncertain future going forward, it’s hard to predict anything out of Golden State for the time being.

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