The Golden State Warriors, who have already seen their fair share of dramatic highs and lows through the earliest portions of their season, are certainly going to be among the teams that are aggressive on this year's trade market, especially given the urgency surrounding their limited championship window.
Yet, according to Warriors beat reporter Tim Kawakami of The SF Standard, one of their ideal trade targets, former Warrior Andrew Wiggins of the Miami Heat, could be unavailable to them as a result of the Heat's apparent disinterest in the team's most tradeable asset: Jonathan Kuminga.
Wiggins, as both a dynamic scorer and a capable defender, would ironically complement Golden State's current veteran lineup almost perfectly. However, as long as Miami is competitive and Wiggins remains one of their most important players, it would be unwise to expect them to change their stance on Kuminga, effectively eliminating any possibility of a reunion.
Jonathan Kuminga has not yet resurrected his value on the trade market
As the Warriors attempted to navigate Kuminga's contentious restricted free agent this past offseason, one of the major hurdles they faced was the relative lack of interest around the league in paying the organization's price for a sign-and-trade.
Although the Heat were among the teams that were initially rumored to have interest, Golden State ultimately only received two concrete offers (from the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings), both of which were sub-par.
Now, his two-year, $46.8 million contract is, in theory, the team's most valuable trade chip given the salary-matching capabilities it carries. The difficult part is that Kuminga will need to play well enough to garner interest from teams willing to take on that salary.
While he got out to a scorching hot start to the season, his last few games have seen him return to the inconsistenct play that limited his value last offseason. Over his past six games, Kuminga has averaged just 9.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 40% from the field.
Although these averages do include his last matchup, in which he only played 12 minutes after injuring his knee, these numbers will not be enough to draw in the demand the Warriors need if they were to try to trade Kuminga this season.
The painful part is that Wiggins might be exactly what this team needs. Through his first 12 games this season, he's averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists, shooting 40% from 3-point range and playing an integral part on an ascendant Heat team.
Sadly, the Warriors may need to look elsewhere this season as they attempt to bolster their championship hopes through the trade market.