Everyone in the NBA knows the Golden State Warriors are hoping to trade Jonathan Kuminga prior to the February 5th trade deadline. Nevertheless, Kuminga and his agent officially demanded a trade from the team
on Thursday, according to a report by Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN. Kuminga could not be traded after re-signing with the Warriors this summer until January 15th.
While Kuminga got off to a strong start this season, he was quickly relegated to the bench and has been out of the rotation for more than a month. Per the report, “essentially every major figure on the ground level of the operation” agree a trade is best for everyone. The phrasing “ground level” is likely omitting owner Joe Lacob, who has reportedly been most ardent in keeping Kuminga throughout his tenure.
Perhaps the most interesting nugget in the report concerns what the Warriors have been eyeing in preliminary trade talks for Kuminga. Per Slater and Charania, “League sources said the Warriors have been prioritizing expiring contracts in return for Kuminga.” While that could be interpreted as Golden State eyeing an opportunity to cut payroll, it seems more likely that they are eyeing a multi-team trade where they can acquire draft capital to be rerouted to a third team for a more proven player. Of course, if that scenario were on the table at the moment, a deal would have probably been announced.
