It’s starting to feel like the Jonathan Kuminga saga with the Golden State Warriors can only be resolved with a trade.
The mood has oscillated back and forth a bit, but at this point, the vibes feel relatively irreparable.
The Warriors have also been urged to consider trading away sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who is in the midst of the worst season of his career.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley combines those concepts into one trade idea in a new article.
He suggests that the Warriors trade Kuminga, Hield, Moses Moody, a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a 2028 first-round pick swap to the Brooklyn Nets.
In return, the Warriors would get Michael Porter Jr., who is averaging 24.3 points per game this season.
Kuminga can’t be traded until mid-January because of the contract he signed in the offseason, but when that date comes, he may be gone soon after.
“The Warriors could use someone who makes quicker decisions with the basketball and helps better space the floor,” Buckley writes. “Someone like Porter, who was an ultra-efficient play-finisher alongside Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray in Denver and has remained nearly as efficient despite handling a much more featured role in Brooklyn.
“Porter’s shot-making could be a godsend for Golden State, which has struggled to find consistent scoring around Stephen Curry. And while Porter is arguably overpaid ($38.3 million this season), the Warriors might be willing to stomach that blow since his contract will expire at the same time when Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all exhaust their current deals (2027).”
The clock is ticking on this Golden State core of Curry, Butler and Green. If Kuminga isn’t interested in being around, then they can’t afford to waste too much time.
Porter isn’t a perfect player, but he’s played on winning teams and can do so again. This is an intriguing idea, one to think about as Jan. 15 approaches and Kuminga can actually be traded.
