Jonathan Kuminga delivered one of the best performances of his life for the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, but it's easy to forget that it never would have happened without the team it came against in the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kuminga's 30-point display was the latest upswing in a wild four-year career with the Warriors, having been drafted seventh overall in 2021 with what was initially Minnesota's first-round pick.
Jonathan Kuminga could pour more regret on the Timberwolves
Despite initially seen primarily as a swap of D'Angelo Russell and Andrew Wiggins, the significant trade between the Warriors and Timberwolves over five years ago could still become known as the Jonathan Kuminga deal.
Golden State acquired Minnesota's top three protected 2021 first-round pick in the Wiggins-Russell swap, with the selection ultimately conveying and the franchise taking a gamble on the high-upside talent of Kuminga.
While the jury may still be out on the 22-year-old, the trade resulted as being rather lopsided anyway given the contrasting production of Wiggins and Russell. While the latter continued to put up numbers with the Timberwolves, it was never overly conducive to winning and eventually saw him shipped off to the Los Angeles Lakers three years after arriving.
Wiggins, on the other hand, completely turned his reputation around and became an All-Star in 2022 before serving as the second-best player on a championship team by the end of that season. While the Canadian's five-year tenure at Golden State came to an end in February when he was traded to the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler, that initial trade with Minnesota certainly went in their favor.
Kuminga now has the opportunity to make that even more so, with he and Butler perhaps the biggest keys to the Warriors hopes of taking down the Timberwolves without injured 2x MVP Stephen Curry. If Kuminga can play a big role in a stunning Warriors series victory, the Timberwolves will only have themselves to blame for relinquishing that first-round pick over five years ago.
To be fair, Minnesota are only in this position because they got the better of Golden State at the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery. Kuminga's 30 points in Game 3 were overshadowed by Anthony Edwards' 36, with the Timberwolves having drafted the superstar guard first overall before the Warriors fatally took James Wiseman at number two.
Still, that was all about luck. The Warriors simply straight robbed the Timberwolves in the trade months prior, with the hope that Kuminga can swing it even more so in their favor and help the franchise advance to the Western Conference Finals.