After what felt like an eternity of contract negotiations, the Golden State Warriors and 23-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga finally agreed on a 2 year, $48.5 million extension.
Now, about one-third of the way through the season, there seems to be some more drama. Recently, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, Kuminga did not play while fully healthy. The Warriors ended up running an 11-man rotation in their blowout win, one where Curry was sidelined due to an injury.
At this point, it seems inevitable that Kuminga will be traded, and Nathaniel Holloway of Athlon Sports has drawn up a trade that would benefit both teams involved.
“In a potential trade, the Warriors could send Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis and draft capital to the Kings in exchange for (Domantas) Sabonis,” Holloway said Tuesday.
“While it would be a tough decision for the Warriors to make to move on from two of their key young players in Kuminga and Moody, along with a key scorer in Hield, swapping them for Sabonis would finally give them a star center they have been in need of for multiple seasons.”
Domantas Sabonis could give the Warriors a third level of scoring that they haven’t had since their dynasty team in the 2010s.
Of course, Sabonis and Green have had their fair share of interactions, most memorable being when Green seemingly stomped on Sabonis’ chest in the 2022 playoffs, but the two would likely be able to work it out.
While Sabonis has been banged up this season, the Warriors desperately need help in the paint. Sabonis has never been the greatest defender, but his knack for rebounding and scoring the ball inside, as well as his crafty dribble hand-offs, would pair perfectly with Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Now that the Sacramento Kings are rumored to enter full rebuild mode, they may be willing to part ways with the three-time All-Star in exchange for two young guys like Kuminga and Moses Moody, especially if they receive draft capital that can be cashed in when most of the Warriors’ core is retired.
Sabonis could help the Warriors win now, and the Kings could hit the reset button, shaping their future rather than focusing on the present with this hypothetical trade.
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