Draft insiders lay out two-trade plan for Golden State Warriors to land a star

Trade No. 1: Turn Jonathan Kuminga into a lottery pick

The first step in this plan is to turn Jonathan Kuminga into a lottery pick, and ideally a pick in the Top 10. That’s a bold move, and a painful one for a franchise that invested the number seven pick on Kuminga just two seasons ago. It’s true that he wasn’t been able to crack the playoff rotation this season, but as a hyper-athletic forward with a high defensive floor and plenty of offensive upside, it will feel like a failure to give up on him now.

All of those things are also enticing to other teams, and there aren’t a lot of players like Kuminga in this year’s NBA Draft. Offering him to teams looking for athleticism in the frontcourt could be a way for the Dubs to make a leap up the order. Which teams might be interested?

The Warriors probably can’t get into the top five by packaging Kuminga and the number 19 pick, and the Orlando Magic at No. 6 don’t need another forward. Things start to get interesting at seven as the Indiana Pacers want to start winning and need an answer at power-forward. Our sister site 8 points, 9 seconds covers the Pacers and evaluated such a trade, tentatively saying yes to the Pacers making the deal.

The Washington Wizards could also value getting two young upside plays by splitting pick number eight into Kuminga and 19. The same goes for the Utah Jazz at number nine who are said to be looking for an athletic forward to pair with Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt

So let’s assume the Warriors are able to get a pick in the 7-9 range. What do they do with it?