The Phoenix Suns are the latest team interested in snagging Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. After trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, they are working to reshape their roster, and Kuminga could help them. And on the flip side, Golden State could benefit from the move as well.
“Sources say Phoenix, meanwhile, is the latest team to express exploratory interest in a Kuminga sign-and-trade ... challenging as it would be for the Suns to make such a deal happen,” Fischer wrote. “Fresh off completing a buyout of Bradley Beal this week, enabling the Suns to waive-and-stretch the hefty contract possessed by the three-time NBA All-Star guard, they have contacted both Kuminga's representation and the Warriors to make their fondness for the bouncy swingman known.”
The question is, what could the Warriors get back in exchange for Kuminga?
Return package could work for Warriors
Nothing the Warriors get back for Kuminga at this point will be as valuable as what they could have had. At the height of his trade value, there’s a chance Kuminga could have netted them a star, or at least some first-round trade capital.
But at this point, it seems fairly obvious that the Warriors are trying to get rid of him. And sign-and-trade deals are inherently more difficult to complete.
That said, based on the direction the Suns seem to be moving in, the Warriors could extract some decent role players from them in hopes of building out their roster around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Should the Suns sign Kuminga to a contract worth roughly $25 million per season, Golden State could ask for Grayson Allen, Nick Richards, and second-round draft picks in return.
Again, it’s not flashy, and it’s not the star the fanbase may have dreamed of at one point, but for a team looking to compete for a championship, it’s not bad at all.
Allen has been a top-tier three-point shooter since entering the league, and during his time in Phoenix, he’s been one of the best marksmen in the NBA. And if he performs well, the Warriors could look to trade Buddy Hield’s contract for value at another position, as he and Allen play similar roles.
Richards is a quality backup big man. And even if the Warriors do end up signing Al Horford, which all signs point toward them doing, adding Richards to a big-man room of the former Boston Celtic, Quentin Post, and Trayce Jackson-Davis would solidify their rotation.
The second-round draft picks would be the cherry on top, but adding Allen and Richards would give Steve Kerr plenty of players to throw at the wall in hopes of finding the best-possible lineups.
It's painful to come to the realization that this is where Kuminga's value likely lies at this point, but it might be the reality the Warriors have to live in. (And Allen and Richards could still give them a nice boost.)