Report: Team with Major Warriors Trade Target Not Interested in Kuminga

The Golden State Warriors need a big wing who can score, and Michael Porter Jr. is the hottest name on the trade market who can fill that need.

The Stein Line's Jake Fischer reported Thursday that the Warriors have "had internal discussions about whether to pursue Porter."

But unfortunately for Warriors fans, Fischer added that Brooklyn "has not shown much interest in acquiring Jonathan Kuminga dating back to last summer."

To acquire Porter, the Warriors would have to trade Kuminga or one of their Big Three of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

As a rebuilding team, the Nets have no use for an aging star, so Kuminga would have made the most sense as the centerpiece of a Porter trade.

Fischer concluded the section by bringing up the possibility of a three-team trade.

"Now is there a three-team scenario out there in which Kuminga would land with that third team and Brooklyn comes away with trade elements it prefers? Good question. We know Golden State is prepared to move Kuminga in multi-team structures if that's what it takes."

How Realistic Is a 3-Team Trade That Sends Porter to Golden State?

It's unlikely but definitely possible.

The issue is nobody seems to really want Kuminga.

There have been reports of some interest from the Kings, Bulls and Mavericks. If one of those teams is enamored with him, then the possibility of the Warriors using one of them to land a big fish in a three-team trade goes up substantially.

Aside from getting high-value draft capital for Porter, the Nets will surely want young talent in return.

The Kings are almost entirely devoid of young talent. They're unlikely to trade Keegan Murray, and aside from him, their best young piece is probably 25-year-old Maxime Raynaud, who isn't going to move the needle for Brooklyn.

The Bulls are building around Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, so they likely won't give up either of them to get Kuminga. They do have 25-year-old Coby White, who they might consider trading because they could have difficulty re-signing him in free agency this offseason. So a three-team trade in which the Bulls get Kuminga, the Nets get White and the Warriors get Porter could happen.

The Mavericks won't be trading Cooper Flagg, but they could consider dealing 22-year-old Max Christie, who is shooting 46.6 percent from three but probably isn't so good that they are making him untouchable. A three-team trade in which the Mavericks get Kuminga, the Nets get Christie and the Warriors get Porter is another possility.

But if I had to guess, the Mavericks are more interested in Kuminga as a return piece for Anthony Davis and less interested in him as a return piece for Max Christie. That might sound wild, but they are likely looking to trade their expensive veterans for young players and future cap space. Besides, they might value Christie more than Kuminga, so in that case, they would demand the Warriors give them draft capital to facilitate the trade, and the Warriors will already be giving draft capital to the Nets.

Golden State has put itself in a tough spot. It needs to land a wing improvement, but those don't come cheap, and rival teams might view Kuminga more as a salary filler than a intriguing young piece. If that's the case, the Warriors will likely have to include more draft capital than they'd like to get that wing improvement.