New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Jonathan Kuminga to Blazers, Warriors Get Toumani Camara

Although it's always difficult to predict exactly how the offseason will affect the upcoming NBA season, it seems clear that the Eastern Conference is going to be up for grabs. The Indiana Pacers won the conference last year in one of the most surprising championship runs in recent memory, but they are going to be without Tyrese Haliburton for the year. The Boston Celtics have always been a force in the Eastern Conference, but Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles injury in the second round and will miss the upcoming season. The Bucks made a big move to add Myles Turner, but they had to cut Damian Lillard to do it. In short, the only three teams that seem to be locks for postseason returns are the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That leaves an opportunity for several teams to take advantage.

The Atlanta Hawks are certainly doing their best to seize that opportunity. After trading for Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis and drafting Georgia power forward Asa Newell, Atlanta reached a pair of huge free agent signings. The Hawks signed a marquee free agent in Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year, $62 million deal in a sign and trade that sent a 2027 2nd-round pick (via CLE) to the Wolves. Then, the Hawks signed free agent guard Luke Kennard to a one-year, $11 million deal. They also got an unprotected first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in a draft-night trade. Given the massive injuries in the Eastern Conference next season, it seems that the Atlanta Hawks are going for it and making moves to put themselves in position to contend. One area they could still use some depth is at small forward or another ball-handler.

After being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, it's clear the Golden State Warriors need to consider changes. Acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline helped improve their roster, but their matchup against the Timberwolves showed that the Warriors still need more on defense and could use more shooting. They had no answer for Julius Randle in the Timberwolves series and went on several cold streaks without Steph Curry to push them forward. The clearest way towards improving their ceiling by resolving the Jonathan Kuminga situation.

Like many of the restricted free agents this summer, Kuminga and the Warriors are at an impasse in terms of signing a new deal. The young wing reportedly wants a long-term commitment and he's unsatisfied with the two-year, $45 million contract offer that Golden State has on the table. Kuminga is in search of a long-term contract offer and it is known that both the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are interested in giving it to him. However, the Suns' reported trade package, per NBA insider Marc J. Spears, is absent of any first-rounders. They are putting Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and four second-round picks on the table. If the Warriors aren't interested in that package, it opens room up for another team to make an offer.

While it's unlikely, one team that could be interested in Kuminga are the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland already has an exciting young duo of wings in Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija, but it's possible they could be convinced to part with Camara if the other team pays a hefty price. Per NBA insider Jovan Buha, Camara's trade value is extremely high.

"I have heard that the Blazers want something like two [first round draft picks] for Camara, so maybe they view Dalton [Knect] and a first as sufficient, but I think Portland probably says no, to be honest."

Even though Buha was speaking about a Camara trade in the context of the Lakers, it's fair to wonder whether Golden State wouldn't be interested in this price. Camara made an All-Defensive Second Team last season and they've needed to reinforce their defense for a while. He's on a very affordable contract that would give them enough room to fill out the rest of the roster with deals for Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton.

So how about a trade where each of these teams tries to fill a need?

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Hawks Receive: Matisse Thybulle, Gui Santos

Blazers Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade, 3 YR, $68M, $28M salary in Y1 with player option in Y3), Kobe Bufkin, 2026 1st-round pick (unprotected, via GSW), 2028 1st-round pick (unprotected, via GSW), 2030 2nd-round pick (via ATL)

Warriors Receive: Toumani Camara, Robert Williams III, 2026 2nd round pick (via BOS/IND/MIA, from ATL)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Thybulle's been hampered by injuries as of late, but he's still a solid perimeter defender. While he was never a shooter with the 76ers, he's turned himself into a more willing shooter and actually shot 43.8% from deep on 3.2 attempts last season. He did only play 15 games, but he shot 34.6% from deep on 3.6 attempts per game in 66 games the season prior. That's close to what Dyson Daniels gave the Hawks this season. Although it's a small sample size, he still had a STL% of 5.1% last season and finished with a BLK% of 1.5% (95th percentile among wings). Thybulle and Daniels would be a handful to deal with on defense and turn the Hawks into one of the better perimeter defenses in basketball. Santos was a solid connective piece for the Warriors in the limited run he got last year - he finished with a AST:USG ratio of 1.10 last year (94th percentile among all wings) and had an OREB% of 9.3% last season (99th percentil among all wings). He doesn't have a lot of utility as a scorer, but he shot 74% at the rim last year and has the athleticism to be a solid lob threat. Both players would be solid regular season pieces for the Hawks that can help the starters stay healthy throughout the year.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Thybulle hasn't been able to stay healthy recently and he's on an expiring contract after this season. Furthermore, Santos is very much an unknown and he's entering a pretty crowded frontcourt at only 23 years old. Even if he plays well, the Hawks may not have the budget to bring him back considering that they need to extend Dyson Daniels and, possibly, Trae Young in the near future. For similar reasons, Thybulle would also likely be a rental piece.

Why the Blazers would do this deal: Jonathan Kuminga's flashes of potential are incredibly tantalizing. With Curry out in the Minnesota series, he dropped 30 points in Game 3 against a very strong Timberwolves defense. He's an incredibly athletic wing who converted on 72% of his attempts at the rim last season, good for the 87th percentile relative to all wings. One of his most useful skills is drawing tons of contact - he finished last season in the 94th percentile among wings for percentage of shots fouled on (16,5%). Although he's not a great defender, he has tons of defensive potential that shows up in spurts. In a defense featuring Jrue Holiday and supported by Donovan Clingan, it's highly likely that Kuminga can be a net-neutral defender and stay on the court long enough for his potential as a finisher to develop. He'd be a nice lob threat for either Avdija, Holiday or exciting rookie center Yang Hansen to find on passes. If the deal doesn't pan out, Portland can fall back on the two unprotected first-rounders they're getting from Golden State as they build out their roster. Bufkin is a interesting development project who's shown signs of being a standout defender at the point guard spot. His Summer League performance was far from flawless, but he showed up in the clutch repeatedly and did some damage from inside the arc as a scorer.

Why the Blazers would not do this deal: Camara still could have untapped upside as a two-way force and they are getting rid of a lot of frontcourt depth in order to make this deal happen. Furthermore, the 2026 first-rounder from Golden State doesn't seem to be an especially strong pick and they already have a really crowded backcourt. Adding Bufkin doesn't do very much for them.

Why the Warriors would do this deal: Despite the Blazers having a losing record, Camara was one of the best parts of their year. He averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game on 45.8/37.5/72.2% shooting splits. Camara is a defensive menace and the combination of him, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green would give the Warriors a ton of versatility. He finished with a STL% of 1.9%, which was 81st percentile among all forwards, despite playing in 78 games. On offense, he shot 4.6 threes per game and even shot 50% from midrange (82nd percentile among all forwards). At 25 years old, there's reason to believe he could develop even more and turn into one of the best 3&D players in basketball. He's also on a very cost-controlled deal that pays him under $5 million combined over the next two seasons. That's massive for a team with little salary flexibility like the Warriors. Robert Williams has a lengthy injury history, but there's no question that he makes an impact when he's on the court. He's a great rim protector and still has some of the explosiveness that made him a great lob threat. The Warriors could use some more size at center, especially if that player can also protect the rim to make up for Quinten Post's shortcomings on defense.

Why the Warriors would not do this deal: Two first-round picks and Kuminga is an expensive price to pay for a player that likely tops out as a solid starter and a backup center. Furthermore, while it keeps them below the tax line, it does still narrow the margins for their ability to add players like Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Jonathan Kuminga to Pacers, Toppin to Warriors

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Jonathan Kuminga to Brooklyn, Golden State Lands Nic Claxton

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