The Golden State Warriors ultimately made a mistake drafting Jonathan Kuminga and trying to develop the young forward over a nearly five-year period, and now the last thing they can do is compound that by immediately replacing him with another athletic but questionable forward target.
L.A. Clippers big man John Collins has already been floated as a potential target for the Warriors on the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, yet many of the same questions with Kuminga would also relate to Collins despite his increased size and experience.
Warriors can't compound Jonathan Kuminga mistake with John Collins
As part of an offseason preview on Golden State last week, Keith Smith of Spotrac labelled Collins as a potential option among a host of veteran players as the franchise looks to retool their roster in the coming weeks.
Just like with Kuminga, Golden State could theoretically do with a player of Collins' size and athleticism on a roster that is completely bereft of those traits. However, in a similar manner to the former seventh overall pick, Collins' feel for the game and impact on winning has long been a question mark.
The 28-year-old has always put up strong numbers, averaging 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 block on 54.6% shooting from the floor and 36.9% from 3-point range during his nine-year career.
However, Collins has only recorded a positive plus-minus in two of those nine seasons, and has played in just two losing playoff series outside of the Atlanta Hawks shock run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Perhaps some of that can be contributed to the teams that Collins has been on, but it's also hard to argue against his numbers at the L.A. Clippers this past season. Despite averaging a reasonable 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds, Collins finished with the worst plus-minus of any Clipper to play at least 300 minutes.
Warriors need a better fit than John Collins in free agency
If the Warriors wind up trading Kuminga and signing Collins a matter of months later, the question must be asked why they didn't just keep the 23-year-old in the first place, particularly if they also lose Kristaps Porzingis in the process as a free agent.
Collins could certainly play a role next season, but Golden State need a better fit and a more impactful player on winning if they gain access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15.1 million).
Collins does fill many of the needs the Warriors need to address moving forward, but so too did Kuminga and we saw how that eventually played out after an up-and-down and often controversial time at the franchise.
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