The Golden State Warriors spent years trying to acquire a star for Jonathan Kuminga and wound up settling for Kristaps Porzingis in a stunning deal that will age poorly. From fighting over his role to years of trade talks, the Kuminga saga ended disastrously. All Golden State could muster in return was a stretch five with serious injury questions. Availability is a skill, and it makes this the worst trade of the deadline.
The Warriors are optimistic about Porzingis’ health, but he has been dealing with this illness since last season. Over the last two years, he has played 59 of a possible 136 games. KP has dealt with injuries throughout his NBA career, and his illness makes matters worse.
The Warriors forced Kuminga to sign a two-year contract in restricted free agency that gave the franchise flexibility to flip him for a star. Golden State had a plan, but kept eroding any shred of trade value he had. In the end, all they could muster was an oft-injured big man. This trade is disastrous and could get significantly worse.
Warriors' trading for Kristaps Porzingis was the worst deal of the deadline
The Warriors have wanted a stretch five capable of protecting the rim for years. Porzingis checks those boxes if he can play. He averages 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game this season. The Unicorn helped the Celtics win the championship in 2024 and is reuniting with Al Horford in the Bay Area.
Fans can easily sell themselves on this working out. The Warriors filled a need and got someone capable of putting up All-Star production, but the reality is far less sunshine and rainbows.
Golden State drafted Kuminga as the seventh overall pick in 2021 as part of their disastrous two-timeline plan. James Wiseman quickly fizzled out, which left JK as the top option of the young core. There was excitement after year three, but his minutes were still down. The Warriors should have cashed in and moved on. Instead, they chased stars and failed to pull off deals for Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Durant, and others.
Golden State wants to win in the final years of Stephen Curry’s career. They need more talent around him to make that happen. Fans kept holding out hope that Kuminga would be part of the package that brought a star to the Bay Area. Sadly, it only mustered Porzingis in the end.
ESPN generously graded this trade a C+, which is only fair if you ignore the history. When factoring in the years of drama and failed trades because the Warriors didn’t want to part with Kuminga, it deserves an F. They failed to maximize his value and ended up with a big man that nobody knows when he will be available.
This was the worst trade of the 2026 deadline. Golden State Warriors fans should be disappointed. The front office ruined Jonathan Kuminga’s value, failed to develop a talented youngster, ruined several trade conversations, and ended up with a stretch five that may only be healthy enough to play a handful of games in the Bay Area. Talk about a disaster that was years in the making.
This was awful. Sadly, it could get worse if KP can’t get healthy. Fans are likely relieved the Kuminga saga is over, but all the Warriors did was lose on this one.