Golden State Warriors reportedly against trading Wiseman or Kuminga

The Golden State Warriors have been among the teams linked to Ben Simmons, more so due to fit and need than anything else.

But, nonetheless, it’s been an offseason-long mission for them to find a third superstar. Many analysts do not think the Warriors have much of a shot without that third shot-creating threat. Can the pre-Durant Warriors replicate their success?

The Golden State Warriors are not wanting to trade second-year center James Wiseman or No. 7 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga.

So far, they clearly either don’t value that third superstar scoring option or they aren’t willing to pay the price to get them to the Bay Area. It may also be a combination of both, especially after Jonathan Kuminga played very well at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (subscription required) via NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman, the Warriors would prefer not to trade their two young prospects.

That’s just a tad bit obvious as no team wants to trade their star prospects. Even if they don’t want to keep the play long-term, there’s no denying putting them on the trading block would lower their value.

Now, I do believe the Warriors management doesn’t want to trade either prospect.

They took Wiseman over the likes of LaMelo Ball. He’s still just 20 years old and should be able to develop into a future cornerstone of the franchise. He had a rookie season that mimicked Chris Bosh’s first year in the league. 

As for Kuminga, after he dropped in the draft, the Dubs took a chance on him. He played well and showed his ultra-athletic side during the Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged over 17 points per game.

While summer league isn’t a definite factor in future success, his success is obviously better than any clear struggles. His decision-making and efficiency still need improvement, but with the proper development, there’s no reason Kuminga couldn’t transition into a star.

At the end of the day, the Warriors are setting the bar high. That’s important, but as we saw with D’Angelo Russell, trusting their front office not to trade a player that was once deemed untradable isn’t a smart way to live.

Wiseman and Kuminga could be traded, just the right deal would have to come across general manager Bob Myers’s desk. So far, that doesn’t appear to have happened.