The Golden State Warriors helped kick off the NBA trade season, sending a package of De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dennis Schröder. The 2023 FIBA Cup MVP is having the best season of his career, averaging 18.4 points, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 38.7% from 3-point range, which is the best mark of his career. However, the Warriors set their sights even higher.
Golden State has been linked to Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram and even LeBron James this season as trade rumors heat up, but they could have found an ample wing to add to their lineup in a bigger deal with the Nets. Brooklyn is having a fire sale, and Cameron Johnson is one of their best assets as a sharpshooting wing. The Warriors were linked to him earlier in this season, but they balked at the asking price.
Had the Warriors added both Johnson and Schröder, it would have taken the addition of Johnathan Kuminga, according to one NBA insider.
“To acquire both Schröder and Cam Johnson from the Nets, as league sources say was also weighed by the Warriors, almost certainly would have required them to surrender Jonathan Kuminga,” wrote Jake Fischer on Sunday. “The Nets aren’t done making trades, of course, with Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović, Day’Ron Sharpe and Johnson all currently or likely to be drawing various levels of trade interest.”
Johnson is averaging 18.5 points on 43.1% shooting from deep, both career highs. However, Kuminga will be a restricted free agent this summer and is playing well this year, especially recently.
Kuminga has started in each of the Dubs’ last six games and is averaging 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists during that span while shooting an uncharacteristically good 40% from behind the arc. The Warriors still see him as a key part of their next era once Stephen Curry starts to decline, and flipping him for the 28-year-old Johnson doesn’t make much sense.
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