t least four Warriors players are on the trading block ahead of the February 6 NBA trade deadline, reports Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto.
In an article published on December 2, Scotto listed the four Warriors trade candidates as Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II.
While Melton was widely expected to be traded after undergoing season-ending ACL surgery, the future of Kuminga in Golden State came into question after the Congolese forward failed to agree to a contract extension before the 2024-25 season. The minute that extension deadline passed, the idea of Warriors trading Kuminga became a reality.
“Forward Jonathan Kuminga is the young asset who’s drawn the most trade interest for Golden State over the years and is expected to do so again ahead of restricted free agency this summer,” Scotto wrote. “Kuminga and his agent, Aaron Turner, were far apart on extension talks with the Warriors before the season. Kuminga was seeking as close to a maximum contract as possible, while the Warriors were hoping for something closer to $30 million annually, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Should Warriors Trade Kuminga After Career Night?
Scotto added that league sources expected Kuminga to agree to a five-year $150 million similar to Hawks forward Jalen Johnson’s deal.
“Instead, nothing came close on a similar five-year, $150 offer for Kuminga because it seemed like the least he would’ve considered was a five-year, $175 million deal, HoopsHype has learned. Since the season began, Kuminga has mostly come off the bench and has struggled shooting the ball from the field at career-low percentages across the board,” added Scotto.
To Scotto’s point, Kuminga got off to a rough start in the 2024-25 season. However, it’s worth mentioning that his report was published a few days before Kuminga went off for a career-high 33 points against the Rockets on December 5. The Congolese forward was widely praised by his coaches and teammates after the performance, with Stephen Curry even urging Kuminga to “take over” the team and be more aggressive.
Jonathan Kuminga scores a career-high 33 PTS on 59.1 FG% to lead the @warriors to the win over Houston! pic.twitter.com/YX7D3Y4FzV
— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024
After the game, several analysts urged the Warriors to retain Kuminga and build around the 22-year-old budding star. The counterpoint was that Kuminga’s trade value likely went up after his career-high night and could fetch the Warriors a bigger return.
Moody Could Be ‘Part of a Bigger Deal’
Another school of thought is for the Warriors to play out the 2024-25 season and reassess where they stand with Kuminga and Moody — the fourth-year wings who were drafted No. 7 and No. 14, respectively, at the 2021 NBA Draft.
In their four years with the team, both players have shown flashes of turning into cornerstone franchise pieces, but have been equally inconsistent. Unlike Kuminga, Moody did agree to a three-year contract extension worth $39 million.
According to Scotto, executives around the league expect the Warriors to shop Moody despite the contract extension.
“With Moody’s role remaining the same over the past few seasons and not increasing, executives across the league believe Moody is a name to monitor on the trade market with a moveable salary,” Scotto wrote on December 2.
An NBA executive told HoopsHype, “Moody could be part of a package in a bigger deal, and Steve Kerr still doesn’t play him 20 minutes a game.”
Ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline, the Warriors ambitiously tried to trade for LeBron James, only to be rebuffed by both James and the Lakers, per several insiders. One wonders if they swing for the fences again ahead of the February 6, 2025 deadline.
