The likelihood of the Golden State Warriors making a splash in the postseason took a massive hit on Tuesday afternoon.
The Dubs will have to navigate life without Jimmy Butler during the second half of the year, as the 36-year-old star forward will be tasked with nursing a torn ACL.
If the Warriors want to get creative on the trade market in the next two weeks, they could execute Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz’s trade idea that would send Jonathan Kuminga to the Phoenix Suns for a former Lakers forward.
“The NBA trade deadline is just weeks away, which means teams are quickly running out of time to upgrade their rosters and put a merciful end to some player-coach drama (looking at you, Warriors),” Swartz wrote Monday.
“The struggling (and expensive) Cleveland Cavaliers could look to move De'Andre Hunter if they still believe in the core four, even if he doesn't want to go anywhere. Jonathan Kuminga will almost certainly be traded by the Golden State Warriors.”
"Here's how a deal could get done with the help of a third team (Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Suns, De’Andre Hunter to the Warriors, and Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn, and Nick Richards to the Cavaliers).”
It would be understandable if the idea of acquiring Hunter from the Cavaliers didn’t move the needle for some Warriors fans. Hunter, who was drafted by the Lakers in 2019 before getting traded twice in the same offseason, was building a solid reputation as a three-and-D wing in the big leagues.
However, Hunter’s below-average three-point shooting in Year 7 is a red flag that would be impossible for the Warriors to ignore (He’s shooting 31.0% from deep after boasting a 40.5% long-range shooting percentage last season).
Add in the fact that the Virginia product doesn’t possess the star power the Warriors need moving forward, and Golden State has every reason to look elsewhere on the trade market.
More NBA: Warriors predicted to acquire $197.2 million Grizzlies star guard via Jonathan Kuminga trade