While it may have worked effectively for a very brief moment last October and early November, the fit between Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga was ultimately a problem Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors could never overcome.
Kuminga is now off the team and rumors are surging of the Warriors interest in LeBron James as a free agent this summer, but the familiar problem of the on-court fit could return if the franchise can actually land the superstar forward.
Warriors face another on-court fit issue if LeBron James arrives
James has a higher basketball IQ, is a better passer and even at nearly 42-years-old is simply a better player than Kuminga, but that doesn't eliminate the very real spacing concerns that would once again exist between a James, Butler and Green frontcourt.
The issue wouldn't fully arrive until Butler returns from his torn ACL injury mid-way through the season, yet that only makes it more imperative that Kerr and the Warriors gets lineups right to ensure the 6x All-Star can fit back in rather seamlessly.
Even disregarding Butler for a moment, the fit between James and Green is a tricky even if the off-court relationship between the pair would be one of the primary reasons the 4x MVP joins Golden State.
Teams don't guard Green at the 3-point line, and while James is a better shooter, he's coming off a season where he shot just 31.7% from beyond the arc. Neither should be asked to play as a small-ball five at this stage of their careers, leaving some concerns and particularly when Butler, another low-volume 3-point shooter, returns to the mix.
Warriors might have to make other move if they sign LeBron James
Golden State ultimately traded Kuminga for Kristaps Porzingis at February's mid-season deadline, offering them a towering 7'2" center who can stretch the floor and would far better complement Green and Butler when healthy -- though there's no guarantee the three ever play a game together.
It will now be interesting to see just what other moves Golden State would make to complement James if they manage to sign him in free agency. We know he's always been at his best when complemented by an array of outside shooters, but the Warriors ranked just 20th in 3-point percentage this past season.
It's hard to see Green being moved when he'd be one of the key tools in recruiting James, but he'd surely have to fall back into a sixth or seventh-man role off the bench? Would it make Golden State more open to trading Butler for another star that's a better 3-point shooter? Kawhi Leonard perhaps?
Catering to a newly-acquired 41-year-old free agent likely in the last year of his career isn't a normal thing to do, but if they don't the Warriors may revisit the very same spacing problems that proved a primary reason in Kuminga failing to work with the franchise.
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