Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors is still an NBA trade deadline topic.
Getty
Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors is still an NBA trade deadline topic.
While so much has been going wrong for the Golden State Warriors lately, the team has been able to maintain its focus ahead of the February 5 NBA trade deadline. That focus is Plan A, in which the Warriors would make a swap with the Milwaukee Bucks for star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga likely heading out.
Of course, the problem is that the Dubs have very little involvement in making Plan A come to fruition. The team has made an offer, but all they can do is hope that the Bucks and Antetokounmpo put aside their persistent dysfunction and get some clarity on what they want to do going forward. Antetokounmpo has vacillated between sour/disgruntled with the Bucks and completely committed to Milwaukee for life.
The Bucks have been a hard “no” on Antetokounmpo one day, and open to offers the next. The Warriors can’t control that.
But, with an asset on hand that wants a trade as badly as Kuminga does, the Warriors need to have a Plan B.
Warriors Still Hoping for Jonathan Kuminga Trade
Now, there has been ample back-tracking in recent weeks, since Jimmy Butler tore his ACL and now, with Stephen Curry battling a knee injury, on the Warriors’ stance on Kuminga. But make no mistake, Plan B should be to trade him, if the team can find a taker.
It has been an active trade deadline already, and those teams that are looking to make a move but have been left in the cold can bounce back with a late push. And that’s where Kuminga can come in, especially if no Antetokounmpo deal is pending.
“Absolutely, they’re still listening on him and there’s still a market for him,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “They’re poised for it. There have been teams who have kicked the tires. But this could be something that just finally comes together (on Thursday) because it is not the priority today or last week. But you get to the last few hours before the deadline, and there’s nothing else happening for you, all the sudden, Jonathan Kuminga is now your priority.”
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is still the Warriors’ top trade target.
Plan C Is Not Ideal for Warriors
Plan C has always been that the Warriors simply hang onto Kuminga, kick the second year of his contract back into gear and try to trade him again. That’s become more realistic since the injury to Butler–coach Steve Kerr’s problem with playing Kuminga is that he doesn’t fit well with Butler or with Stephen Curry, for that matter.
Said Kerr on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, “With Jimmy’s injury it changes everything for us, and for JK, and it was good to have him back in the lineup and in the rotation. Now that Jimmy is out, we’ll see what happens with the trade deadline. But if nothing happens, JK is right back in the rotation and we keep moving forward.”
Jonathan Kuminga Landing Spot Might Still Be Hidden
But where could Kuminga land? There has been talk of Miami Heat interest, though bringing back Andrew Wiggins is not of interest to the Warriors. The Mavericks, Bulls and Nets have also come up.
Or somewhere different altogether.
“It’s a long 24 hours before the deadline and you just don’t know when something comes out of nowhere,” the exec said. “But you’ve got to be ready for it, and they are.”