Ranking Top Trade Targets Warriors Could Pursue for Kuminga

On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Warriors will discuss trades for Jonathan Kuminga when he's first eligible to be dealt on January 15.

That's no surprise considering Kuminga had been having another up-and-down season before getting benched on Sunday.

The following is ranking of Kuminga trade targets from the Warriors' perspective. It's based on a combination of how much they can help this team immediately and how friendly or onerous their contract is.

I eliminated anyone making at least $45 million this season. If the Warriors wanted to acquire a player making that much and keep Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, they'd have to trade at least four players.

You might remind me that they did this last year to get Butler, but the difference is Butler was sitting out, making the Heat motivated to deal him for any decent package. The Jazz, for example, probably don't want four players back for Lauri Markkanen if none of them is a guaranteed building block, so they would probably ask for an outrageous collection of picks.

It's fun to dream about Markkanen ($46.4 million), Kawhi Leonard ($50 million) and Anthony Davis ($54.1 million), but it's not gonna happen.

I also didn't include Giannis Antetokounmpo ($54.1 million), but not because of his salary. I just have a hard time believing the Bucks would settle for the Warriors' package, whether it includes Butler or Green. They will be looking for young talent that the Warriors don't have.

I also eliminated any guard. The Warriors are so guard-heavy that it would not make sense to acquire another one. This eliminated Jordan Poole, Malik Monk, Coby White and a few others.

Honorable Mentions (in order of most intriguing to least intriguing)

SF Andrew Wiggins, SF Aaron Nesmith, SF Bennedict Mathurin, SF Dillon Brooks, C Daniel Gafford, C Nic Claxton, SG/SF Bogdan Bogdanovic, SF DeMar DeRozan, C Domantas Sabonis

I detailed why the Warriors should avoid Sabonis here. Simply put, $42.3 million is too much for what he'd provide.

DeRozan is not much of a defensive presence, and his style of play would likely cramp the offense even more.

Bogdanovic is listed as a shooting guard, but at 6'5", he can play some 3. Ultimately, his lack of size and mediocre defense are the reasons the Warriors would likely avoid him.

Claxton and Gafford are similar in that they score all their points in the paint but don't provide any spacing. They also defend the rim, but they aren't elite defenders. Claxton is the better passer and Gafford is cheaper, so it's basically a wash on who is the better trade target.

Brooks is miscast as a high-volume shooter for the Suns, but in previous seasons with the Rockets and Grizzlies, he filled the three-and-D role capably. The Warriors would have to weigh how the players would embrace him considering their history, including some comments from Green.

On a recent episode of the Light Years podcast, Sam Esfandiari said Mathurin is a better version of Kuminga, and then he questioned if that's the type of player Steve Kerr would want to acquire. The short answer is probably not, but if the Pacers' rumored interest in Kuminga is real, maybe there's a chance this trade happens.

Nesmith ranks just ahead of his teammate because he's under contract through 2028-29 at a bargain rate, whereas Mathurin will be entering restricted free agency this offseaosn. Nesmith is currently injured and having a rough season, but last year he filled the three-and-D role admirably (43.1 3PT%).

The Miami Heat are 14-10 and likely have no interest in trading Wiggins for a project like Kuminga. But I'll leave the 2022 champion here because Wiggins has a bad net rating, so perhaps the Heat would talk themselves into a move if they get a decent pick attached too.

5. SF Herb Jones

Projected cost: Kuminga, 1st-Round Pick (Pels would have to include salary filler)

If you could guarantee that Herb Jones would shoot the ball as well as he did in 2023-24 (41.8 3PT%), he'd be ahead of the next player on this list. He's at 34.7 percent this season, which is lower than you'd want for someone who doesn't provide much else offensively.

Defensively, Jones is the best wing on the market. The 6'7" wing finished first-team All-Defensive two seasons ago. A shoulder injury limited him to just 20 games last season, and this season his defense is being wasted on a Pelicans team that's a total mess.

Jones is under contract through 2028-29 on a bargain deal, which could make him more expensive to acquire.

The Lakers and Warriors are reportedly both interested in trading for him.

4. C Myles Turner

Projected cost: Kuminga, Salary Filler, 1st-Round Pick

The Stein Line's Jake Fischer wrote Tuesday that the Warriors have had interest in Turner in the past and the salaries of Turner ($25.1 million) and Kuminga ($22.5 million) are nearly matching.

Turner is the best stretch 5 on the trade market. He's making 39.2 percent of this threes, and he's also a great shot-blocker, averaging 1.6 per game.

My only hesitation for the Warriors acquiring him is that Quinten Post is currently providing a lot of what Turner provides. Post is not the shot-blocker Turner is, but his defense has been surprisingly strong nonetheless.

With that said, even if Post continues to play as well as he has recently, there's nothing wrong with having both Turner and Post. They could play all 48 center minutes easily, making Al Horford expendable.

3. SF Michael Porter Jr.

Projected cost: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Salary Filler, 1st-Round Pick

Porter is playing so well that the price might be even higher than this, which is why he ranks in the top three here.

The former Nugget is averaging 25.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.5 three-pointers per game. On offense, he's the closest thing to prime Klay Thompson on the trade market.

Porter has never been much of a defensive player, so the Warriors would have to weigh whether the potential drop on defense is worth the potential rise on offense.

The other issue is that Porter is making $38.3 million this season and $40.8 million next season. Acquiring him would make the Warriors so top-heavy with four big contracts and essentially no room for anything else.

The size of the contract is the main reason he's not in the top two.

2. C Ivica Zubac

Projected cost: Jonathan Kuminga, 2 1st-Round Picks

Zubac is the best all-around player of the Warriors' trade targets. He's a great paint scorer and an even better interior defender.

The question is would the Warriors be too cramped offensively playing Butler, Green and Zubac at the same time?

Zubac has one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NBA, as he's in the first year of three-year, $58.7 million deal. That makes him even more valuable, which is why the Clippers are reportedly setting the asking price at two first-rounders.

1. SF Trey Murphy III

Projected cost: Jonathan Kuminga, Salary Filler, 2 1st-Round Picks

Murphy has developed into a scorer at all levels. He's averaging 21.0 points, with 2.8 threes and 8.4 points in the paint per game.

At 6'8", he's a disruptive defender, as his steals average of 1.7 per game shows.

With that said, the 25-year-old is not the defender Jones is, but his potential is immense nonetheless.

The Warriors would be gambling that Murphy, in a role with less offensive usage, would be more efficient on offense and better on defense.

I think it's a good bet.

Lastly, Murphy is in the first year of a four-year, $112 million contract. That's much more affordable than Porter's deal, and it makes you wonder if the Pelicans would rather keep him.

But don't be surprised if the Pels sell high. They need more picks to try to find supporting pieces for their young core of Jeremiah Fears (19), Derik Queen (20) and Yves Missi (21).