Today is the day when final trade restrictions are lifted and all players eligible to be traded before February 5th’s NBA Trade Deadline become available. Several players will be ineligible all season,
but basically if someone can be traded before June, they’re on the market now.
The list of players who came available today include Naz Reid, Sam Merrill, Davion Mitchell, and Quentin Grimes, but the big fish in the pond resides in Golden State. Not coincidentally, he is the subject of today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag question.
Dave,
We all know the Warriors aren’t playing [Jonathan] Kuminga and he’s going to be traded. Any chance we could go for it? They need draft picks right? What do you see for his chances in Portland?
Lonny
The good things about Kuminga are his length and his athleticism. It’s not hard to envision him defending all over the court with the likes of Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija. How scary would it be if Avdija settled into the point guard position and Portland went with a lineup of Deni-Shaedon Sharpe-Camara-Kuminga-Donovan Clingan? Even if you surmise Deni as the shooting guard and maybe Scoot at point (and Shaedon gone), that’s still a formidable defensive lineup.
The problems with Kuminga are two:
- His offense has fallen off. He’s shooting 43% from the field, 32% from the arc this season. His career highs were 53% and 37%, but that was 2-3 years ago. Jerami Grant blows him out of the water offensively, is also a fairly rangy defender, and has veteran savvy. Kuminga makes less than Grant now, but if the Blazers re-sign him…
- Obviously, Kuminga just isn’t playing. Some folks have cited an oil-and-water situation with Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, but come on. That team has Steph Curry and Draymond Green on it. They’re champions, the soul of the franchise. If one or both were advocating for Kuminga, there’s no way he’d be buried no matter what Kerr felt. (Keep in mind this team played Jordan Poole for 266 games, and Green full-on punched him in the face.) That means, probably, that Kerr, Curry, and Green are all at peace with Kuminga being passed by as they win half their games. Honestly, I kinda want to know why.
Obviously I’d take Kuminga at a good price. But I think expectations and compensation for him will be inflated beyond the level the Blazers want to go. I also don’t see what the Blazers would offer Golden State beyond draft picks that would make sense. Grant would be over-saturation for them and a huge contract obligation. Sharpe would be too much from Portland’s end. Robert Williams III, filler, and draft picks? I don’t know.
I wouldn’t faint from shock if Kuminga ended up here, but I don’t foresee it happening.
If you want some other names who might be worth looking at as the deadline approaches, consider some of these maybe. The list isn’t exhaustive, but people have been asking, so I’m sharing.
The Sacramento Kings are projected to blow up their core. The one guy I’d consider heavily—I mean, Domantas Sabonis would always be tempting aside from the lack of defense, but besides him—would be Malik Monk. He’s 27, is making $3 million less than Kuminga, and is signed longer. He defends well, doesn’t have to start, and he shoots 42% from distance. Playing 22 minutes per game at $18 million per year, he’s exactly the kind of player a rebuilding Kings squad wouldn’t need but the “next step” Trail Blazers could use. The one disadvantage is that he’s a 6’3 shooting guard, which is out of vogue, but the Blazers could switch-cover with a longer defender, putting Monk on the point guard on the defensive end and switching Avdija to shooting guard. Or just let Camara defend the point and put Monk as a secondary defender on the perimeter.
I’ve mentioned Rui Hachimura for a couple straight trade seasons now. He’s the ultimate utility guy for the Lakers. It seems like he’s been in the league forever but he’s only 27. He’s on an expiring contract around $18 million per year. I love Hachimura’s court sense, plus he has shooting splits of 52% from the field, 44% from the arc. He eats 32 minutes per game in his current role. He’s like a middle-innings pitcher in Major League Baseball…not your ace, but he’s going to give you six innings whenever you need it. If the Blazers could keep him at a reasonable price, I’d be down.
The Chicago Bulls are all about trading Coby White but I don’t love him for the Blazers. Josh Giddey is untouchable, sadly. I don’t hate Ayo Dosunmu, though. He’s an active defender, fitting Portland’s hustle culture. He shoots almost 45% from the arc without needing the ball. He’s making $7.5 million on an expiring contract. If the Blazers could purloin him and re-sign, he could be a real value get.
I think any of these players would be more likely, and a better fit, than Kuminga. But what say you? Do you have a pet project trade we don’t know about yet? Share in the comments section and let us peruse it!
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