2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

separate topic, but one we've already visited:

what would you offer for kuminga? i know svtzr likes grimes, but i actually think philly wants him and he wants to be there.

gs doesn't really want kuminga, and he doesn't want to be there.

the suns offered richards, oneale, and 4 seconds. gs turned down the kings offer of carter (but i'm guessing he was attached to derozan, who has 10 million guaranteed after this year). i'd have taken carter, tbh. anyway...

would you move kleber/gabe/knecht for kuminga on 3/80 type deal? it blows up space, and he's maybe not an ideal fit, but i think he still has untapped upside that could work next to luka and reaves long-term without breaking the bank. he could end up being a more athletic version of young DFS, with a bit more pop on offense.

would gs be interested in rui (who i think could fit well there) and kleber (no knecht in this scenario)?

i don't know; it's the slowest part of the offseason.

 

Verdict 17 No votes to 1 “Yes” vote on should the Lakers Bubble victory have (or be thought of as having) …. an asterisk.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/65...erisk-daryl-morey/?source=user_shared_articleShould Lakers’ 2020 bubble title ‘forever be marked by an asterisk’? Our staff weighs in

Entire staff of The Athletic = No. @The Rock = Yes.

 

This feels like a duplicate of the Denver series from the previous year: Lakers led in double digits in each of those Denver games adn lost in 5 which is bonkers. Different stars, different coaches, very similar results

I think this is just indicative of a very good team the last few years pre or post Luka which was talented but just didn't have enough horses to finish games. In other words you can only paper over lack of depth and lineup deficiencies only for a certain period of time before it catches up to you.

 

I'd be calling on Kuminga if I were Rob. I think there is still potential there but he's just a terrible fit for the Warriors' offensive system. I think he could, at a minimum, kind of be what we hope Vando can be. He's not as polished or disruptive a defender as Vando, but he's very athletic, strong and versatile on that end. Offensively, he's not much of a shooter but a much better play finisher. The cuts and short rolls that Vando doesn't finish would be Kuminga dunks/free throws. He's flashed some decent isolation scoring as well. In that sense maybe he could be kind of what we hope Rui can be as well - a second unit scorer that can feast on mismatches with one of Luka or Austin also on the court.

I don't see the Warriors being interested in Rui. I don't think he's a great fit for their offense either with the constant movement, dribble hand-offs, off-ball actions, etc. I do think Gabe would fit in nicely there. Dalton probably doesn't have the basketball IQ to succeed there now, but maybe they just bet on the shooting talent because they really don't have a ton of that right now. We'd probably need to put the 2031 first in play though, and that's where things get tough. I might support that because I could see Kuminga carrying the same or more value of the 2031 1st next summer if he had a good year with us, even on a new contract.

 

Kuminga refused to sign 45 for 2 years.

GSW stopped all trade talks for now.

https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden...ings-suns-jonathan-kuminga-sign-trade-pursuit
Hell no to Kuminga
He's greedy and overrated

 

Another reason was Minnesota didn’t respect Hayes. Hayes became unplayable because he was so bad at offense.

that changes with Ayton will allow Luka more lane where it doesn’t become a jump shooting contest.

 

Nahhhhh I think Hachimura is better than Kaminga. Why give Golden state a free shooter in Knect.???? Makes no sense. Kaminga doesn’t help us.

 

it had a second year team option and he lost the no trade clause. So, basically it was a 1 year contract for a team that doesn't want you. Why are you making Kuminga out to be the bad guy here?

I'm siding with Kuminga here, I don't think Kerr has done much to develop him and use him correctly. The GS style is built off of Steph and Klay being great 3 pt shooters and Draymond to be a 2 way point forward. They lost Klay and have never been the same. Kerr does not bend to the talent, he forces the talent to bend to him. Personally, I think they should fire Kerr and find someone who can work better with Kuminga.

 

if that title has an asterisk, then so should the 99 spurs title and the 12 heat title as both occurred in shortened seasons

 

LoL I agree with fire Kerr part ,but Kuminga still wants money

Jonathan Kuminga Would Have Accepted 5-Year, $150M Deal

The Golden State Warriors never offered Jonathan Kuminga a 5-year, $150 million contract.

“This was part of the reason the Warriors were hesitant to extend Kuminga’s contract last summer,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater explained. “The contract amount was discussed, and I believe Jaylen Johnson’s 5-year, $150 million deal became a reference point for Kuminga and his representatives.

I’m convinced — and have been told — that they would have agreed to 5 years and $150 million if that had ever been on the table. But it never
was.”

 

f*** bleacher report again
Bleacher Report has ranked the five most overrated players NBA at the moment.

Bleacher Report's Top 5 Overrated Players:

LaMelo Ball («Charlotte»)

Tyler Herro («Miami»)

Jaren Jackson («Memphis»)

4. Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers

De'Aaron Fox («San Antonio»)

 

Kuminga just seems like a scorer who's not particularly good at rebounding, passing, stocks, or 3's. There's potential there since he's young, but he seems destined to be a scorer on a bad team and not a good role player on a contender. I wouldn't trade for him.

 

I think this has an element of truth to it, but it's not necessarily a conspiracy theory, it's just part of the equation. Despite DFS's defensive ability, the team needed rebounding and a real C. Trade pathways were asking too high a price. Letting DFS go in order to get Ayton and LaRavia was the best move AND it forces JJ out of small ball for the majority of the game.

This could be an interesting discussion. At backup C, is it best to play Hayes, or Kleber, or small ball Rui/LeBron?

In a vacuum, I agree with you that Hayes is a good choice for backup minutes, especially if Luka can play those minutes as well.

However, I also want to play Vando a decent amount during the regular season (15 min or so), and it's very hard to play Vando with Ayton or Hayes imo. He is better paired with Kleber or small ball Rui/LeBron, where Vando can play C on offense, and anywhere on defense.

I can see small ball with Vando + Rui or LeBron (or both) working at the end of the 1st/3rd quarters and beginning of 2nd/4th quarters for 2-3 min each when the opposing backups are in. That's 8-12 min for the game. If Ayton gets 30 min/gm, then there's only 6-10 min left of backup C.

Should that be Kleber so that Vando can play, or Hayes (and Vando only 8-12 min/gm)?

 

rui may indeed be better. i'm not sure we intend to keep him beyond this year, and i think he has less room to grow. but i can understand not wanting to do it.

i know it sounds crazy, but i though mikal bridges's first contract was an overpay (hat tip svtzr who said it wasn't and was right). the cap raises, and the end of that contract won't look as bad as it does now. that said, i don't think i go five years on kuminga. feel like three years is fair at the same starting rate. i agree with kuminga on declining gs's b******* offer. 2 years and i give up my no trade, all for less than my number? it would be one thing to pay big short-term, knowing i'm a trade piece, but, yeah, i think i'll just hit UFA instead of the 2/45.

that's fair. i've never been nuts about kuminga, personally. i just think he's the archetype that's been successful next to luka in that his deficiencies (ballhandling, shot creation) are not super important to us and his strengths (rangy athleticism, finishing, defensive potential) are. when you have luka, weird fits like kuminga can work, imo.

feel like there are ways to pair hayes with luka and let ayton play more pick and roll with reaves against second units.

the article's author had some arbitrary rule about injuries, blah blah blah.

it's garbage. reaves isn't overrated at all. and all overrate discussions hinge on a consensus "rating" anyway.

SGA is overrated in that he has the award for league's best player and isn't.

 

I don’t really mind whether Kleber or Hayes plays. I just think Kleber was the better player and provided an alternative defensively and with his shooting.

As for Grimes and Philly that whole situation is strange. They traded for Grimes but their PG/SG is pretty much set with their last 3 draft picks:

Maxey/McCain
Edgecombe/McCain

That’s a fantastic rotation and Grimes shouldn’t be taking minutes from those 3, theyre the future of Philly. The only way we could get Grimes is sending back Rui which I don’t think is worth it. They won’t want Gabe and I doubt anyone sees Vando as a valuable asset. So Philly most likely gets him for the QO and Grimes becomes a UFA next year.

 

I don’t really know what to make of Kuminga, he has all the tools, without any of the brains and what’s worse, he just hasn’t really improved as a player which points to low motor and low desire.

The guy’s a poor shooter, poor free throw shooter, poor passer, poor decision maker with a bad handle. He does produce elite rim pressure and athletic attacking the rim.

On ball he can be a solid defender but off ball he is comically bad. His defensive IQ is terrible, and I’m surprised Draymond - who built a career on ball IQ - hasn’t clotheslined him yet.

I’d prefer to stay away from him. But we do need athleticism at the SF spot.

 

Agree. He's like a worse Kuzma but wants to be the star of a team.

Also agree with those saying that GS and Kerr have mishandled him, but that's also on him for not adapting to that role (which is why I say I don't see him being a good role player on a contender). He wants to be a featured scorer and get paid like one, and doesn't want to do the little things. So he and GS are destined to part ways, and if he can get to Sac, he may get his wish and it will turn out like Kuz in Washington.

 

i think gs asks specific things of players that only work in their system.

that said, again, i don't think kuminga's a star in the making. but 25 per isn't star in the making money.

 

That's fair.

Also fair, but he definitely seems to want to be a featured starting scorer and to make 30+ for multiple years eventually.

The 2 sides are just too far apart, and it's fair for Kuminga to want to bet on himself and go elsewhere. I just don't see it working out on a good team, but could on a bad one.