Kuminga Trade Idea Gets Warriors Young 6'9" Forward and Veteran Center

Everything has changed for the Golden State Warriors since Jimmy Butler's season-ending torn ACL.

Before that injury, they could have reasonably believed that they were one move away from being a title contender. That's why over the last few weeks, I've speculated that the Warriors would use the Kuminga contract to acquire a big fish like Michael Porter Jr.

Now, the Warriors would be justified keeping their draft assets, which would mean any Porter-like move is off the table.

Jonathan Kuminga's trade request went public about a week ago, and even though Butler's injury changes the Warriors' goals this season, it doesn't mean he will be kept past the deadline.

If the Warriors trade Kuminga, it's not obvious what they should target in return. Any young player who is thriving will be impossible to get. There are a handful of older veterans who are attainable, but getting one of those will not improve this team's potential next season and might make it more expensive.

So the Warriors should be looking for a player in year 2-4 who has potential and could be on the verge of a breakout. This player would preferably have the size to guard big wings because that's where the Warriors have minutes to give.

It's almost impossible to come up with a player who is not too promising (e.g, Dereck Lively II) but not totally devoid of potential (e.g., Devin Carter). Perhaps the Jazz have a player right in the middle—someone they aren't afraid to trade but could be intriguing enough for the Warriors to gamble on.

The Trade

Warriors receive: Jusuf Nurkic, Taylor Hendricks
Jazz receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Al Horford

Why the Warriors Do It

The Warriors could keep Kuminga past the deadline with the intent to build his trade value for the offseason, but realistically it won't change much.

It's time for a change, and in this deal, the Warriors get Hendricks, a 6'9" forward who was taken ninth overall in the 2023 draft.

Hendricks' three-point shot looks good—career 36.7 percent—and though he's not as explosive as Kuminga driving to the basket, he has some ability to score inside.

Hendricks is playing just 15 minutes per game this season, which suggests he's not a priority of the Jazz's future plans. He'd likely play more for Golden State over the next three months. The Warriors would hope that he'd become a solid rotation piece for the 2026-27 season.

Jusuf Nurkic and Draymond Green have beefed in the past, but they have to get over that now. Nurkic's interior defense would help preserve Green's body and keep the Warriors from getting destroyed in the paint.

Why the Jazz Do It

A lot has changed since the Jazz took Hendricks in the 2023 draft. They have since taken two rangy wings in the lottery—Cody Williams and Ace Bailey—both of whom are starting. Meanwhile, Hendricks missed all but three games of his second season with a broken fibula and dislocated ankle, and now he's behind both younger wings on the depth chart.

Of course, Kuminga is a wing himself, so would they have the runway for him to break out? It's hard to say, but it's conceivable that the Jazz think Kuminga has more potential than Hendricks, which would mean they'd feel like they have nothing to lose with this deal.

As an added bonus, they can reroute Al Horford to a contender for a second-round pick.

Nurkic has the third-best net rating on the team among healthy players, per Cleaning the Glass, so trading him a) opens up more minutes for young players and b) actually helps the Jazz lose more, which they need so they can keep their top-eight-protected 2026 first-round pick.