ESPN's Jonathan Kuminga 3-team trade idea has former Warriors champion and forward who just scored 42 points

Billy Heyen

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ESPN's Jonathan Kuminga 3-team trade idea has former Warriors champion and forward who just scored 42 points image

The Golden State Warriors have long been expected to consider trading Jonathan Kuminga as this season's trade deadline approaches.

There have been various winds out of Golden State in recent months, some which say he's more likely to say, many which say he's more likely to go.

In the end, it could come down to value and fit. Does another team want Kuminga badly enough? And does Golden State like what it gets in return?

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ESPN took a crack at predicting a Kuminga trade recently, and this is what Zach Kram and Bobby Marks came up with:

  • Warriors get
    • Trey Murphy III
    • Jordan Hawkins
  • Pelicans get
    • Jonathan Kuminga
    • Moses Moody
    • 2026 first-round pick (Warriors)
    • 2028 first-round pick (Warriors, top-10 protected)
    • 2030 first-round pick (Warriors, 5-20)
  • Jazz get
    • Kevon Looney
    • 2031 second-round pick (Raptors)
    • 2032 second-round pick (Pelicans)
    • Cash

Murphy may not be the most well-known player, but that's because he's playing for a bad Pelicans team.

He's an excellent 3-and-D wing who just dropped 42 points. He'd be an incredible get for Golden State.

"On the court, Murphy would give the Warriors another feared shooter to play off Stephen Curry," Kram writes. "Murphy has made 38% of his career 3s, hitting three per game in recent seasons. Moody, at 2.1 made treys per outing, is the second-leading Golden State player this season. For that archetype, Murphy would hold his own defensively on the wing for the Warriors and slide to power forward when Draymond Green is at center."

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Golden State wouldn't get Murphy on the cheap, though.

"Since the Pelicans have no urgency to move Murphy, those benefits will cost Golden State," Kram writes. "This deal moves up to three of the four first-round picks they can trade but protects them from giving up a top-four pick after this year. New Orleans is taking a risk that this trade might convey only one first-rounder, but it could yield three lottery picks if things hit right."

If Golden State is really trying to maximize the final years of Curry, along with Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, it has to take that risk.

Murphy could be the guy who makes all the difference.

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Contributing Writer