With no signs of Jonathan Kuminga returning to the Golden State Warriors rotation anytime soon, the only question that needs an answer is where he’s headed next.
The Warriors hold the leverage with Kuminga as a restricted free agent and a depressed market in the summer.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a bold offseason trade that would ship Kuminga to the perpetually rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers for a high-scoring guard to slot in next to Stephen Curry or serve as his backup.
Swartz’s trade proposal:
Golden State Warriors Receive: Anfernee Simons
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (via sign-and-trade), Moses Moody
“Kuminga and the Warriors already failed to agree on a contract extension last fall. With the No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 draft now headed into restricted free agency, both parties should be working on a resolution where he gets paid somewhere else and Golden State receives some talent back in return.
“Simons, 25, averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists and shot 36.3 percent from deep for Portland this past season and could start alongside Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green or become a super sixth man for a team in need of a little more dependable youth,” Swartz wrote.
Simons can also take over Curry’s role when the 37-year-old superstar undergoes load management.
Moses Moody Finds His Footing at Warriors
The only thing that might hold off this potential trade is the inclusion of Moody, who has become a vital cog of the Warriors’ starting unit.
Unlike Kuminga, Moody has found his footing after a roller-coaster first three seasons with the Warriors. He did it by embracing his role of defending the opposing team’s best guard and becoming better at it.
On top of that, the Warriors have locked him in on a team-friendly, three-year, $39 million deal beginning next season.
Moody is averaging 11.0 points on 39.4% shooting from the 3-point line as a starter. The Warriors are 27-7 in 34 games in which Moody was in the starting lineup.
The Warriors might want to swap Moody with Buddy Hield, whose role Simons would essentially play if this trade happens. Portland could haggle for a pick, which the Warriors have plenty of.
Jonathan Kuminga’s Body Language Amid Benching
Kuminga appeared resigned to the fact that his time is over with the Warriors is over. His actions showed he’s no longer engaged with the team following Steve Kerr’s decision to remove him from the rotation.
During the first two games he was benched against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies, Kuminga only joined the team on the bench after the game had already underway, according to Bay Area News Group reporters Joseph Dycus and Dieter Kurtenbach.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst topped it off by questioning whether Kuminga was even dressed to play.
“Kuminga last night — I wasn’t there, so I don’t know — I’m not sure he had his uniform on,” Windhorst said on “First Take” on April 16, following the Warriors’ play-in win in Memphis. “I’m not kidding. I think he didn’t have his uniform top on because he had clearly been told he wasn’t going to play.”
Later that day, ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Kuminga’s camp is “exhausted” by the disrespect after his latest benching.
