While the Golden State Warriors were eventually able to sign Jonathan Kuminga to a new contract after months of negotiations, there's a strong likelihood that the 23-year-old will be on the trade block again once eligible on January 15.
Finding a realistic trade for Kuminga right now isn't easy given the lack of obvious trade candidates on the eve of the season, but Lauri Markkanen is one obvious replacement that simply won't go away when it comes to being a potential target for the Warriors.
Lauri Markkanen could once again be on the Warriors' radar
Kuminga's future was a major talking point for The Ringer's Zach Lowe and Bill Simmons when discussing Golden State in their recent over/unders podcast episode, with the duo and colleague Joe House trying to work out where the former seventh overall pick will be playing by the mid-season trade deadline.
“I went through all the fake Kuminga trades last week. I don't remember what they all were off the top of my head, but it was actually kind of hard to find one that was realistic," Lowe said.
“Is Markkanen not realistic? Markkanen is realistic for me," Simmons responded.
The Warriors are always going to be linked to Markkanen based simply on how hard they pursued the Finnish forward last offseason, having explored trade opportunities before he renegotiated and extended his contract with the Jazz.
Markkanen's future and candidacy as a trade option has again come into discussion entering this season, and on paper he's a dream replacement for Kuminga as a power forward whose combination of size and shooting makes him a perfect complement to Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
However, there's one major roadblock that could be too significant for the Warriors to overcome. Markkanen's $46.4 million salary is still over double what Kuminga will make this season, meaning Golden State would likely have to give up franchise legend Draymond Green in order to make the contracts work.
Having to give up both Kuminga and Green, not to mention additional draft assets the Jazz would want, obviously changes the complexion of a potential trade for Golden State and might see them simply dismiss the possibility of acquiring Markkanen.
There's also serious debate on how much the Warriors (and others) value Markkanen as he begins a new four-year, $195.9 million contract. The 2023 All-Star saw his numbers dip to 19.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 47 games last season, having shot just 42.3% from the floor and 34.6% from 3-point range.