Pelicans crush Warriors ideal Jonathan Kuminga trade with major contract move

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Cleveland Cavaliers v Golden State Warriors
Cleveland Cavaliers v Golden State Warriors | Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages

The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the numerous teams linked to Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, and perhaps the most intriguing one given a range of players that could be of value to the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade.

Herb Jones is a name that's consistently come up among Warrior fans as an ideal target in a Kuminga trade, but the Pelicans have just crushed any hopes of that possibility by signing the 3-and-D wing to a significant contract extension.

The Warriors won't be trading for Herb Jones this offseason

Jones already had two years and nearly $29 million remaining on an incredibly team-friendly contract, but has now added another three years and $68 million on top of that according to ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday.

The uncertain nature of the Pelicans roster and future had some believing that Jones could be available on the trade market, with the 26-year-old clearly an excellent theoretical fit for Golden State and a host of rival teams around the league.

While Jones could eventually become a trade candidate again further down the track, the extension means that he can't be traded for another six months and therefore rules out any opportunity of being involved in a Kuminga sign-and-trade.

Jones appeared in just 20 games for the Pelicans last season, averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.4 minutes. He averaged similar numbers in 76 games the year before, shooting an impressive and career-high 41.8% from 3-point range while being named to the All-Defensive First Team and finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year.

Trey Murphy III is the other Pelicans wing Warriors fans would love the franchise to get their hands on, but that's also extremely difficult given the 25-year-old will make $25 million next season.

Base-year compensation rules in regard to a Kuminga sign-and-trade makes it almost impossible for Golden State to match salaries, not to mention they'd have to include a bunch of draft assets to even get New Orleans to contemplate giving up Murphy.

The Kuminga situation remains incredibly complicated for the Warriors right now, so much so that they may have to re-sign the 22-year-old themselves before reconsidering a mid-season move once his full salary can count in a trade.

The Sacramento Kings have been most strongly linked to the former seventh overall pick over the last week, but no traction has really been gained on a move after the Warriors rejected a package for Kuminga that included Dario Saric, Devin Carter and two second-round picks.