The Golden State Warriors will do their absolute best to trade fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline. At this point, they have no choice.
Kuminga has worn out his value to the team, having only played nine minutes since Dec. 7. On the first day he was trade eligible, he formally requested a move away from the organization.
Only one problem remains. Who is willing to take him on, and who can provide the Warriors with what they need in return for what was once their prime trade asset?
This is a sticky situation, to say the least. Kuminga's two-year, $47 million contract is extremely trade-friendly on the surface. But Golden State must find a team who is willing to take a flier on the young forward without requiring outsized future draft capital in order to send back a difference-making player.
CBS Sports', in their recent purview of potential suitors, named the Milwaukee Bucks as a possible option. Their desperation could land the Warriors what they ultimately desire.
The Warriors need something valuable in return for Kuminga, and Milwaukee could prove to be their only option
For Golden State, priority number one in any Kuminga deal is to bring back a third option who can complement Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler on offense. To date, their most promising lead has been Michael Porter Jr. of the Brooklyn Nets.
Yet the Nets have shown no interest in Kuminga, making a deal involving his salary difficult.
Milwaukee presents an alternate route. The Bucks showed some level of interest in Kuminga this past offseason as the Warriors negotiated his contract, but they were not portrayed as a serious suitor like the Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns were.
They are now, however, entering uncharted territory. At 17-24 and the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo's departure is looming heavily over the organization. Accordingly, they have been tied to almost every star on the market in what appears to be a desperate attempt to appease their franchise player.
Kuminga is no star, but he has enough promise that bringing him in could give the Bucks enough of a boost to convince Antetokounmpo to stay, at least temporarily.
Meanwhile, they have a valuable piece they could ship back in return: 11th-year forward Bobby Portis.
Portis would not necessarily be the scoring option they desire, but he would give them a much-needed boost in the front-court, especially in regards to their spacing. This season, he is averaging 13 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while knocking down a league-leading 47.6% of his attempts from 3-point range on solid volume.
Golden State has shown interest in Portis in the past. If no other Kuminga deal materializes, and Milwaukee remains desperate enough to make a drastic move, this could prove to be the Warriors' best bet.