The Golden State Warriors have a big decision to make with Jonathan Kuminga.
The 22-year-old forward is the Warriors’ biggest domino this offseason. In the event the Warriors decide that it’s in their both interest to part ways this summer, they could use the restricted free agent to bring back a player who could help them in their win-now window.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton floated a potential sign-and-trade scenario wherein they could land their previous target, Chicago Bulls veteran center Nikola Vučević.
“The Bulls could try to put together a sign-and-trade, perhaps sending Nikola Vucevic to the Warriors and placing Kuminga in a role similar to the one DeMar DeRozan once played in the Windy City,” Pelton wrote.
The Warriors previously held interest in the Bulls’ two-time All-Star center.
Nikola Vučević Fits Warriors’ Need for Size
Getty Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors and Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls go for a rebound.
They were “at the front of the line” in the weeks leading to the trade deadline for Vucevic with the Bulls looking for a first-round pick in returns, NBA insider Marc Stein reported in January.
The Warriors balked at the cost and ultimately moved on to acquire six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline which dramatically changed the team’s outlook. They went on a massive run in the second half season before eventually falling short in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Their lack of size were exposed in the postseason, something that the Warriors will be addressing this season. While Vučević is not the prototypical big man, he is the type of center that Golden State coach Steve Kerr loves to have.
Case in point, Kerr leaned heavily on 7-foot rookie Quinten Post, who plays like Vučević, at some point this season.
The 34-year-old Vučević averaged 18.5 points., 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting an impressive 40.2% from the 3-point line.
Spreading the floor is one of the signature element of the Warriors style of play under Kerr. It has become increasingly needed with Butler, whose strong play inside the paint can open up the perimeter for them.
Jonathan Kuminga ‘Thinks About Going Elsewhere’
Kerr hints at Kuminga’s possible departure after the young forward’s string of DNPs in the homestretch and the playoffs.
“I think the number one thing is that, JK and I have a very good relationship,” Kerr said on “Willard and Dibs” on 95.7 The Game on May 22. “We talk all the time. We like each other. This is all just basketball. This is not a case of JK coming in saying, ‘Hey, I got to get out of here.’ I want this. I want that.
“This is just trying to make this fit and trying to make this work. But every player, every young player, even the older guys, they want to fit in well with what’s happening.
“And so I think there’s got to be part of JK that thinks about going elsewhere.”
Kerr’s recent admission came on the heels of his cold statement that Kuminga no longer fit the Warriors’ timeline despite his talent and potential.
“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” on Wednesday, May 21. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have, Steph [Curry], Jimmy, and Draymond [Green], and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
A move to Chicago can give Kuminga a fresh start and a long runway for his continued development.
