Jonathan Kuminga’s future at the Golden State Warriors is now well and truly in the spotlight after reports the franchise could be seeking to deal the young forward for a lottery pick in next week’s NBA Draft.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony dropped the bombshell in the latest update of his mock draft on Tuesday, leaving fans bemused as to why a team, seemingly wanting to remain in championship contention, would deal Kuminga for a younger prospect.
Reports of the Golden State Warriors’ interest in a high lottery pick has left fans confused — why could the franchise move Jonathan Kuminga in order to make it happen?
The Warriors have put two years of development into Kuminga, beginning to reap the rewards during a regular season where he impressed with dynamic play on both ends of the floor. It makes little sense to move him now for a rookie who won’t necessarily be ready to contribute next season, nor is guaranteed to be better than Kuminga in the long-term.
It’s not the first time Kuminga’s future has come up in conversations, though that speculation almost always surrounds him being part of a bigger deal that sees Golden State obtain a more proven player in return.
The immediate thought is that the Warriors would deal Kuminga for a lottery pick, then on-trade that selection as part of a bigger move for a star-level player. Yet with the draft exactly a week away, the franchise would want to be confident in their end target being obtainable.
What if that’s not the case? Is there any logical reason why they would trade the athletic 20-year-old simply to add another rookie? Surely that doesn’t align with their aim of next season — to add to their dynastic period by adding a fifth title.
While most are left startled as to why the franchise could be seeking to move Kuminga for a high pick, let’s delve into the possible reasons why they might be considering it while retaining the draft selection at least in the short-term.