The Golden State Warriors must form a clear free agency plan to bolster their roster.
There are plenty of options for the organization to consider
Still, Blue Man Hoop’s Peter O’Keefe believes there’s a blockbuster trade involving a benched forward and a former Western Conference All-Star that could benefit the Warriors.
“Given only 50% of (Jonathan) Kuminga’s new contract will count as outgoing salary, Golden State would need to throw in additional assets to reach (Andrew) Wiggins’ $28.2 million deal for next season,” O’Keefe wrote Monday.
“That means the Warriors would not only be relinquishing Kuminga in a Wiggins trade, but likely fellow fourth-year lottery pick Moses Moody as well.”
“At that point, you’d have to question whether it would be worth it from a Golden State standpoint, or whether they’d simply be better retaining both young players.”
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“After arriving to the Warriors in 2020 with an underwhelming reputation, the former No. 1 overall pick turned his career around dramatically. Wiggins was an All-Star starter in 2022, before famously stepping up in the playoffs that year to be the second-best player on a championship team.”
Wiggins turned heads while competing with the Warriors. The Kansas product needed a change of scenery after spending 5.5 uninspiring seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the 2021-22 season, Wiggins showed that, for the first time in his career, he could contribute to winning at the highest level.
The athletic 6-foot-7 forward averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during the Warriors’ storybook campaign, shooting 37.2% from the field and 35.0% from deep in 22 postseason contests.
Wiggins did a solid job of serving as Stephen Curry’s sidekick this year, but a change had to be made after Golden State was in jeopardy of missing the postseason for the second consecutive season.
Unfortunately for Kuminga, the Warriors’ decision to swap Wiggins for Jimmy Butler in an early February trade has stunted his growth in the Bay.
Head coach Steve Kerr benched the fourth-year contributor for the final three games of the regular season and most of the organization’s first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
Kerr released Kuminga from the doghouse during the Western Conference semifinals (Curry’s Grade 1 hamstring strain played a significant role in the decision), and the 22-year-old played well against the Timberwolves.
However, a Kuminga and Wiggins swap isn’t out of the realm of possibility this summer.
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