Although the writing has been on the wall for Jonathan Kuminga in Golden State for quite some time, the young Warriors forward hasn't been eligible to be traded up until this point. That changed on Jan. 15 as Kuminga and nine other players have just entered the marketplace due to the deals they signed this offseason.
Well, they entered in theory, at least. It would be surprising if Chicago parted ways with rising star Josh Giddey, for instance. But in Kuminga's case, it's safe to say he's officially entered. It took less than one full day of being trade-eligible for Kuminga to formally request a trade out of Golden State, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
Warriors can officially trade Jonathan Kuminga
In a surprising turn of events, Kuminga has completely fallen out of head coach Steve Kerr's rotation, as he hasn't played in 13 straight games. As a result, both Kuminga and the Warriors agree that it's in everyone's best interest to move on. There should be a sense of urgency to trade Kuminga prior to the deadline rather than letting this toxic situation drag on and negatively affect the remainder of their season. But what does a trade return even look like? It's hard to properly determine the value of someone who doesn't even play.
Kerr has a reputation as one of the best coaches in the league, even previously coaching USA Basketball. If he deems Kuminga to be unplayable, that has to be somewhat of a red flag for teams. Still, how much of that was a result of Kuminga being in a less-than-ideal situation? Kerr loves his guard-heavy lineups and can't really afford to play another wing who shrinks the floor when that's already a glaring weakness for stars Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Some team out there will bet on Kuminga benefiting from a change of scenery and reaching his tantalizing potential. Charania specifically mentions the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks as two teams with reported interest, but adds that other teams are already in the mix because of Kuminga's flexible contract.
That contract is precisely what it wouldn't be a bad idea for the Portland Trail Blazers to include themselves in the Kuminga sweepstakes. He has a $24.3 million team option for next season, meaning Portland can have the option to pivot away from this low-risk gamble if they ultimately agree with Kerr on Kuminga being such a flawed player.
Admittedly, his floor spacing isn't an ideal fit for a Blazers team that desperately needs help in that department. But this is a rare opportunity for Portland to add a 23-year-old former lottery pick to its already-promising young core. Eventually, they need to add more star power to contend out west, and there's at least a timeline where Kuminga is that missing piece.
Depending on what Golden State asks for in return and how much these other teams drive up a potential bidding war, that's at least worth exploring for Portland.