The Miami Heat continue to be strongly linked to a trade for superstar forward Kevin Durant, with the outcome likely to weigh heavily on the Golden State Warriors and what they do with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
What does or doesn't happen regarding Durant directly involves the Warriors because, as reiterated by NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line on Saturday, the Heat could have interest in Kuminga if they don't land the 2x Finals MVP.
The Suns will put the Warriors in a bind if they trade Durant to the Heat
Miami are in a strong position to land Durant if they're willing to include exciting young center Kel'el Ware or more draft capital in their trade offer, with the very real potential that something still takes place before Wednesday's NBA Draft.
If the Heat and Phoenix Suns do ultimately execute a Durant deal, it could put Golden State in a bind when it comes to Kuminga and his future. On one hand the Warriors will probably be ecstatic that Durant would head East rather than join another Western Conference foe, but it does limit what they could get back in a potential sign-and-trade scenario.
The thought of reuniting with former All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins? Well that would go out the window because Wiggins would likely have found himself in Phoenix as part of the Durant deal.
Durant's arrival in South Beach would leave just one thus far reported team heavily interested in Kuminga -- the Chicago Bulls. While this could help Golden State in getting the 22-year-old on a more team-friendly contract, it does lessen the market on potential sign-and-trade avenues.
The Warriors could potentially be stuck with deciding between taking an offer from the Bulls, or taking the risk of bringing Kuminga back on a $25 million per year deal knowing that the fit between him and the veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green is still uncertain at best.
Chicago could try and use that to their advantage, offering lesser value than what they otherwise might were Miami (or any other team) known to have significant interest in Kuminga. It's why, as Fischer put in on Saturday, "the reality for Kuminga is that a clearer read on his summer landscape is unlikely to reveal itself until Durant's trade future is resolved."
Fortunately the Warriors still have some time to explore different scenarios with multiple different teams, but a decision on Kuminga one way or another will have to be made in the next fortnight.