A pair of pacific rival teams, the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, were front of the queue in Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade discussions with the Golden State Warriors this offseason before the young forward eventually re-signed on a two-year, $48.5 million contract.
Yet it's another pacific team that's now been floated as a potential destination for Kuminga when he inevitable becomes available from January 15, with the 23-year-old brought up as an ambitious trade target of the L.A Clippers.
Clippers floated as a potential next team for Jonathan Kuminga
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, Kuminga could become an option for the Clippers to address their aging roster -- which ironically is also the case for the Warriors who are set to become the first team in the last 20 years to start four 35-year-olds consistently throughout the course of a season.
The Los Angeles Clippers are the oldest team in the NBA (28.4 average age) and desperately need some young talent to sprinkle in with all of its veterans," Swartz wrote. With reports that Los Angeles is done building around Kawhi Leonard, Kuminga could learn from the two-time Finals MVP now and become a pillar for the Clippers over the next decade."
It would be nice if Kuminga could be that young piece to help balance the veteran quartet at the Warriors, but his fit with them and in Steve Kerr's system remains a big question mark and the key reason behind his inconsistent role.
Perhaps that would change at the Clippers in a more simplified offense, allowing him to utilize his length, athleticism and scoring strengths in a way that would be much more natural than what he's afforded at the Warriors.
The next question is whether the Clippers would have anything that Golden State would want in return for the former seventh overall pick? John Collins is clearly the obvious straight swap from both a skillset and contract standpoint, with the 28-year-old making slightly more at $26.6 million this season.
Who would even give up a pick in that trade? Their values are probably fairly similar given they themselves are similar players. They're both hyper-athletic forwards with questionable outside shooting. Collins is slightly bigger and more proven, but Kuminga's still young enough to suggest greater upside.
It feels like the Warriors wouldn't be thrilled -- many of the same fit issues they face with Kuminga would probably be present with Collins. It might not necessarily be the upgrade in talent that Golden State want, nor the kind of system fit they'd be willing to overlook the talent for.
The idea of Kuminga on the Clippers is certainly an interesting one, but it's also highly unlikely given they -- like the Warriors -- want to push themselves into championship contention behind their aging stars.