NBA Trade Idea Swaps Warriors Star For Elite Scoring Guard

The Golden State Warriors have completed no moves in free agency, with July coming to an end soon. Even though the franchise has been heavily linked to Boston Celtics free agent Al Horford and Brooklyn Nets free agent De'Anthony Melton, there has been no confirmation on any moves from the 2022 NBA Champions.

A major reason for this lack of moves stems from the Jonathan Kuminga situation. A restricted free agent this summer, Kuminga has yet to strike a deal or receive an offer sheet from an opposing team. If the Warriors are set on parting ways with the young forward, a trade idea with the Nets could see both teams solve their problems and net them an interesting player in return.

For @TheDubNationHQ, I took a stab at addressing the misinformation and confusion around the drawn-out Jonathan Kuminga situation, specifically with regards to sign-and-trade possibilities and the roster-building impact of the tax aprons. https://t.co/ETsZOokxiV
— GSWCBA (@gswcba) July 23, 2025

In the following trade idea, the Nets and Warriors swap restricted free agents, with both players ending up in situations that are just better for them than the ones they are in now.

Golden State Warriors receive: G Cam Thomas (sign-and-trade / ~three-year, $66 million deal)

Brooklyn Nets receive: G Buddy Hield, F Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade / ~three-year, $75 million deal)

Because if the Warriors sign players now, it brings them closer to the tax/first apron lines before Kuminga.

Not to mention, utilizing their MLE would hard cap that at the first apron, which makes bringing Kuminga back impossible since anyone could outbid on an offer sheet. https://t.co/MoNXkm7FAt
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) July 23, 2025

Negotiating a sign-and-trade with the Warriors for Kuminga is a difficult one, especially since Kuminga's salary only accounts for 50% of what Golden State can take back. Therefore, they couldn't do a straight-up sign-and-trade swap of Thomas for Kuminga, as Hield is included in the deal to facilitate that.

In landing Thomas, the Warriors give Steph Curry a top-scoring option to play alongside, who would likely be the team's second option ahead of Jimmy Butler. Thomas doesn't bring too much outside of his scoring abilities, but has averaged 22.9 points per game over the last two seasons.

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Golden State Warriors receive: G Cam Thomas (sign-and-trade / ~three-year, $66 million deal)

Brooklyn Nets receive: G Buddy Hield, F Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade / ~three-year, $75 million deal)

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