The Golden State Warriors once again find themselves in a complex situation this offseason, with their roster still a convoluted mix of veterans and exciting young players.
While the youth was undoubtedly the biggest positive from this season — led by Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis — most still believe the Warriors need to prioritize their legendary core specifically Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors must ensure they don’t make an ill-advised trade on the back of mounting public pressure to prioritize Stephen Curry
Golden State’s roster is bound to significantly change this offseason, potentially outside their own doing as Klay Thompson ponders his future as an unrestricted free agent. Beyond free agency and what eventuates there, the next question stems from how willing they are to sacrifice their future to extract what’s left of the veteran core.
The Warriors need to make a trade in the coming months, and they likely will after finishing 10th in the Western Conference. But they also can’t make a deal just for the sake of it, particularly if it includes giving up their biggest asset in Kuminga.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office made Kuminga essentially untouchable at February’s mid-season trade deadline, with a similar stance expected to be taken this offseason according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne last month.
Yet Golden State would be doing themselves a disservice by not genuinely listening to potential deals involving Kuminga, so long as it yields them a consistent second star to partner with Curry. One recently proposed deal aims to do just that, with Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway suggesting the Warriors orchestrate a trade with the Atlanta Hawks.
Let’s have a look at the deal and evaluate whether both teams would be interested in making it happen:
The Warriors need a change and that’s exactly what the following trade would provide, with the franchise adding more backcourt depth that could prove crucial if Thompson and Chris Paul depart in the coming weeks.
Here’s what Conway has proposed:
Golden State WarriorsRECEIVEDejounte MurrayBogdan Bogdanovic
Atlanta HawksRECEIVEAndrew WigginsKevon LooneyJonathan KumingaTop 5 Protected 2026 FirstWould the Atlanta Hawks make this trade?
It’s hard to evaluate proposed trades for the Hawks given they’re in a position where they could go in either direction. Their fortune of landing the first overall pick in this year’s draft has adjusted the thinking on their future, even if the backcourt pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray is likely to be broken up regardless.
The issue with this deal is that it may require Young to also be traded in a separate deal. If there’s one team around the league that may not be overly interested in Kuminga, it’s Atlanta who already has their own talented young forward in Jalen Johnson, and who is likely to take another young frontcourt player in the draft.
Perhaps if they trade Young as well and go into full rebuild mode, the Hawks may be more motivated to simply stockpile talent rather than necessarily focusing too much on how they fit on the court. That would lessen the value of Wiggins though who could otherwise be helpful if Atlanta were trying to remain competitive.
While this is reasonable value for the Hawks, it’s not an absolute home run trade given the overlapping nature of Kuminga (and even Wiggins) with the abundance of front-court options already at their disposal. Assuming they were happy to proceed though, would the Warriors also agree?
Would the Atlanta Hawks make this trade?
Murray is certainly an intriguing option for the Warriors, having been linked to the 27-year-old before February’s deadline. He’s also coming off arguably his best offensive season where he averaged 22.5 points and 6.4 assists on 45.9% shooting from the floor and 36.3% from three-point range.
Murray is also at an age where Golden State could be trading for a player entering his prime with five or more years of good production left, rather than moving for an aging star that would severely limit their window of contention.
The major question becomes whether the Warriors could enter any meaningful contention with Murray as their second star. He would help no doubt, but to a level where it’s worth giving up Kuminga in the deal?
The answer to that should be a resounding no. Murray’s a good player and yet he’s not the bona fide All-Star Golden State need if they’ve given up Kuminga. Bogdanovic would be very helpful as another scorer, especially if Thompson leaves, but Wiggins’ value as the team’s primary perimeter defender would be seen as a downgrade.
To top things off the Warriors give up a top-five protected first-round pick, which may give a fair indication of where Wiggins and his contract lie in league-wide value. Losing Looney would hurt from a cultural perspective more than anything else, though the franchise could be on the precipice of moving on from the three-time champion anyway.
Summary:
This would be the kind of mediocre trade that would be a disaster for Golden State – if you’re not going to take a big swing for a legitimate multi-time All-Star, then you’re better off retaining Kuminga and taking a gamble on where his upside may lie after being one of the most improved players in the league over the second half of the season. It’s a deal that would likely leave them around the fringes of the playoffs, otherwise known as no-man’s land where you’re neither contending nor rebuilding.
If the Warriors could exchange Kuminga out of the deal for Moses Moody, then sure it’s a deal worth making. That’s a fair shift in value though and one the Hawks wouldn’t necessarily go for, leaving a trade hard to envisage given the other teams that will likely be interested in adding Murray this offseason.
