If the Golden State Warriors have been hoping a Jonathan Kuminga trade might salvage their season, they're almost certain to be disappointed. His trade value is murky at best after once again be yanked out of coach Steve Kerr's rotation. If the Dubs don't want Michael Porter Jr., how would folks feel about an injured Anthony Davis? Or is anyone remotely interested in a Dalton Knecht reclamation project?
All of the Kuminga-focused murmurs from the NBA trade market feel disconcerting right now, to the point that even tempered expectations might be too much. To make the most of a tough situation, the Warriors might have to set their sights on Chicago Bulls scoring guard Coby White, who has generated "a ton of noise" in trade talks, insider Jake Fischer revealed in a Bleacher Report live stream.
Coby White could scratch an itch for support scoring.
Whenever a seemingly inevitable Kuminga deal gets done, Golden State better feel confident it's walking away with a rotation player in hand. As much as this roster needs help, betting big on the wrong return would be disastrous.
Coby White wouldn't be the clearest need-filler in Golden State—he's a limited defender and has never been the most discerning playmaker—but he could carve a niche as an instant-offense spark plug.
He averaged an efficient 20.4 points on 45.3/37/90.2 shooting last season. He wouldn't get the floor time or touches to repeat that production with the Warriors, but the hope is a decrease would volume might spark an increase in efficiency.
Either way, he's someone Kerr could entrust with finding ways to generate offense for the second team. And if he's more consistent in that role than Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield have been, that'd be a win for the Warriors.
It's not a fortune-changer, obviously, but it's help. And Golden State needs as much of that as it can get as attempts to maximize the remainder of Stephen Curry's prime.
If Kuminga gets shipped out with few (if any) assets attached to him, the Warriors probably can't aim any higher than this. And even this might prove optimistic, though Fischer noted that Chicago "has definitely liked Kuminga in the past," so this could be possible. Especially if the Bulls are disinterested in covering the cost of White's next contract.
If this is how Kuminga's tenure with the team ends, it would objectively be remembered as a disappointment, but maybe things were always headed this way. This isn't the time for reflection, though. It's all about making the best basketball decision in the here and now, and maybe a marginal move for White is the right way to go.