With the Golden State Warriors receiving the devastating news that forward Jimmy Butler is done for the rest of the year after tearing his ACL, the team may have no other choice than to make a trade to address the hole in their rotation.
The Warriors have long been connected to the Sacramento Kings and now may finally be the time where a trade could work out between the two sides, eventually sending Jonathan Kuminga to Sacramento in exchange for DeMar DeRozan.
Warriors can swing necessary but underwhelming trade with Kings after Butler injury
Admittedly, the Warriors may be second-guessing the idea of trading Kuminga after the young forward threw down 20 points in 21 minutes in his first action in over a month. He flashed that same dominance he has shown in spurts at times in his career, but has never been able to replicate consistently to this point.
However, anyone who has watched Kuminga's career knows he could lay an egg in his next game and many will be begging for him to be moved. The relationship between Kuminga and head coach Steve Kerr seems to be strained to the point where the bridges may have already been burned, with a likelihood that both sides need a fresh start even though one could easily argue they both need one another now more than ever.
But the Warriors cannot afford inconsistency and wild swings in productivity right now. That is why a trade for DeRozan may be a move the Warriors end up making.
The 36-year-old veteran is a six-time All-Star who is a known quantity. Sure, adding another player north of 35 to an already aged roster may not be the wisest move, but perhaps the Warriors need to double down on experience with whatever championship window they have left.
They no longer have the time to weather Kuminga's three solid games followed by some questionable form that leads to his place outside the rotation. It's important to note that despite Kuminga's great showing on Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors still walked away with an 18-point loss.
Many Kuminga defenders bring up his solid performance in the playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves last season after Stephen Curry went down with an injury, but the Warriors also lost fourth-straight to fall 4-1.
Kuminga is a solid player when given a chance, but he hasn't proven to be conducive to winning in Steve Kerr's system. The 23-year-old may need to go somewhere like Sacramento where he can work things out without the spotlight on him.
DeRozan is past his prime, but he knows how to win and will be able to mesh nicely with a veteran Warriors team. One productive outing likely won't change Golden State's stance, it's still time to trade Kuminga and getting a solid and reliable veteran in DeRozan may be they best they can ultimately do.