Jonathan Kuminga Trade Ideas That Clear Roster Spot for Pat Spencer Contract

Jonathan Kuminga was benched on Sunday, and there's no telling how long it'll be before he's back in the rotation.

So if a Kuminga trade didn't feel inevitable before, it should now.

The Golden State Warriors can't trade Kuminga until Jan. 15. It doesn't feel like his trade value will go up by then, so they'll likely have to include a first-round pick to get anything of value for him.

Meanwhile, Pat Spencer is coming off the best four-game stretch of his career and deserves a long-term spot in the rotation. The problem is he's on a two-way contract, and once he's on the active roster for 50 games, he can't play for Golden State unless he's moved to a standard contract.

The Warriors already have 15 players on standard contracts, and they don't have the cap space to release someone, sign Spencer and stay under the hard cap.

The easiest way to get Spencer on a standard contract is to make a trade in which a) the Warriors take in less money than they send out and b) take in one fewer player than they trade.

Here are three Kuminga trade ideas that would result in Spencer getting a standard contract.

Myles Turner for Jonathan Kuminga, Al Horford and a 2026 Unprotected 1st-Round Pick

If the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, they will likely look to trade other veterans like Myles Turner, Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma.

Turner, who is shooting 39.2 percent from three this season, would fit nicely as a stretch 5 next to Draymond Green in the frontcourt.

But Turner is even more appealing for his defense. He is blocking 1.7 shots per game, but he affects many others. Over the last 10 seasons, Turner's team has been better on the defensive end with him on the court, per Cleaning the Glass.

The Bucks would have lots of minutes available for Kuminga to see if he pops. Horford would be expendable with Turner and Quinten Post taking Golden State's center minutes.

The Bucks don't own rights to their first-round pick in 2027, '28, '29 or '30, so they could ask for a first in a different year. But they will likely get several firsts in the Giannis trade, and the Warriors are likely to be protective of any pick after '27. So I'll stick with a '26 pick here, but it's possible the teams would settle on a '27 first-rounder.

This trade would save the Warriors $2.8 million and would open up one roster spot, clearing the way for Spencer's contract.

Michael Porter Jr. for Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield and a 2027 Unprotected 1st-Round Pick

This might seem like a huge price for Michael Porter Jr., but the Nets are likely in no hurry to trade him and would have to be blown away by an offer.

To make the money work, the Warriors essentially have to trade Kuminga and Moody. As the Nets are still early in their rebuild, both would fit nicely.

The Nets don't have rights to their own first-round pick in 2027, so they'd be betting on the Warriors having an injury-plagued 2027 season that makes this pick very valuable.

Porter would be a huge offensive upgrade for the Warriors. He's tailor-made for their offense, as he can fill Klay Thompson's role as someone who can make contested threes (39.2 percent on 9.0 attempts per game) and get layups off cuts (8.7 points in the paint per game).

This trade would save Golden State $4.9 million and open up two roster spots, so the Warriors would sign Spencer immediately and have some leftover space in case they need it for another trade or to sign someone else.

Herb Jones and Kevon Looney for Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II and a Lottery-Protected 2026 1st-Round Pick*

This is a two-for-two swap, so it alone wouldn't make room for a Spencer contract. I included the asterisk here because the Warriors would be releasing Trayce-Jackson Davis before his contract fully guarantees on Jan. 10. They'd save $2.8 million from this trade, which would allow them to give Spencer a standard contract right after the trade goes down.

Jones feels like the most realistic Warriors trade target. He's a great defensive player with size (6'7"), which the Warriors are lacking. He can also make threes (career 36.5 3PT%).

To make the money work, Golden State would take back Kevon Looney, which would be especially useful when Al Horford is out for back-to-backs or injured.

The Warriors would need to trade one of their deep bench players to clear a roster spot, and I chose Gary Payton II because one could argue De'Anthony Melton and Jones would make him expendable.