The Golden State Warriors could use some assistance as they navigate their complicated offseason.
In LA Sports Hub’s Cem Yolbulan’s opinion, the Los Angeles Lakers could jumpstart the Dubs’ quiet summer by swapping their starting forward for Golden State’s recently-benched NBA champion.
“NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that the Warriors’ offer for (Jonathan) Kuminga topped out at two years, $40 million,” Yolbulan wrote Tuesday.
“While Golden State technically has the right to match any offer sheet for Kuminga, its unwillingness to give him a more lucrative deal suggests that they are willing to move on from him.”
“A sign-and-trade would be needed in this scenario since the Lakers don’t have the cap space to sign him to an offer sheet. Fortunately, the Lakers have a number of midsize contracts like Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, and Rui Hachimura that they can use to match salaries in a sign-and-trade.”
“They would need to attach a first-round pick alongside a matching salary to entice the Warriors to make the deal, but this would be a worthy gamble for the Lakers.”
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Kuminga hasn’t made it clear he has no interest in returning to the Warriors next season.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Kuminga is hesitant to ink a two-year deal with a team option because the franchise has ‘stunted and strung his career along for four seasons’.
Toward the end of the 2024-25 regular season, Steve Kerr elected to bench the young forward in an attempt to give the Warriors the best possible chance to prevail.
A fresh start is a must for the former lottery pick, and who’s to say the Lakers couldn’t help him achieve that?
Kuminga may not be worth the money he’s seeking, but he’s undoubtedly a skilled wing capable of eventually reaching All-Star status.
The 22-year-old is most productive when he can use his explosive first jump to finish above the rim in transition and attack closeouts in a decisive manner.
Although Kuminga is still rough around the edges, time will tell if the Lakers feel inclined to move on from Hachimura after 2.5 seasons and take Kuminga off the Warriors’ hands for good.
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