This post was originally published on this site.
It’s not a guarantee that the Golden State Warriors will trade Jonathan Kuminga by the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but it’s still the likeliest conclusion to this saga.
This relationship—with trade requests, benchings, pettiness, complaining to the media, quotes that probably shouldn’t go public but do, etc.—has run its course.
Full disclosure: This is my third attempt at this ranking. I published the last one on Jan. 6 thinking it would be my final, definitive list, but there have been a few major changes since then.
First, Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL. Now, more than they did before, the Warriors need a player who a) can play the wing and b) score at a high rate. So, for example, wings will be rising up the rankings over bigs.
Second, over the last two weeks, a handful of players have been floated as trade targets—for the Warriors or just generally—who weren’t previously.
As for my approach to this ranking, my goal here is to rank players for which Kuminga would be the centerpiece of the return package.
If the Warriors trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Anthony Davis, Butler will probably be the centerpiece. My intention is to not include those kinds of players.
So to narrow the focus just a bit, I didn’t include anyone making over $45 million this season. That eliminated Lauri Markkanen, who should probably be in his own category anyway because he’d cost more than any player here to acquire.
One last piece of housekeeping: Each player’s contract—i.e., how team-friendly or onerous it is—was considered for this ranking.
Honorable Mention: Jaren Jackson Jr.
I left Jackson off the list for two reasons. First, there hasn’t been a single rumor linking Jackson to the Warriors. Second, he starts a four-year extension next season with a starting salary of $49 million. The Warriors’ cap situation would a be mess if they had Stephen Curry, Butler, Draymond Green and Jackson next season.
On talent alone, Jackson would rank near the top of this ranking.
10. SF Miles Bridges
9. SF RJ Barrett
We begin with two wings who score about 19 points per game but don’t shoot the ball well from three and don’t thrive on defense.
Barrett is slightly better on offense and defense, per Dunks and Threes’ EPM. But Barrett does make a bit more money, which makes acquiring him more of a challenge.
Barrett and Golden State haven’t been linked, but Barrett is included here because the Raptors seem to be dangling him and it’s not hard to envision the Warriors trading for him.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that the Warriors are interested in Bridges.
8. C Domantas Sabonis
Back in November, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported that the Warriors don’t have interest in Sabonis. At the time, I was in strong agreement with that stance.
Now, with Butler out for the season, having an offensive hub at center seems more appealing. With that said, Sabonis makes $45.5 million next season and $48.6 million the year after—I don’t see the Warriors destroying their long-term cap flexibility for a big who doesn’t score outside the paint.
7. C Nic Claxton
HoopsHype’s Micheal Scotto reported that the Warriors are interested in the Nets center. Claxton is Sabonis-lite with his passing (4.0 assists per game), and the reason he ranks higher here is his contract.
Claxton is making just $23.1 million next season and $20.9 million in 2027-28.
I expect the Warriors to trade Kuminga for a wing, but if they pursue a center upgrade instead, Claxton is their best option.
6. SF Herb Jones
Jones has ranked very high on my previous lists because he’s the best defensive wing on the trade market and he has an incredible contract, but the Warriors’ need for scoring forces me to drop him down.
He is averaging just 9.1 points per game and is shooting just 32.2 percent from three.
5. SF Jerami Grant
Outside of the top three on this list, Grant is the most seamless fit because he’s a good three-pointer shooter. He’s averaging 19.2 points per game and making 37.8 percent of his threes.
The issue for the Warriors is Grant’s contract. He’ll make $34.2 million next season and $36.4 million in 2027-28 (player option).
He’s overpaid, but he might be the best option on this list when factoring in fit, talent and projected cost to acquire him.
4. SF Naji Marshall
Marshall is playing the best basketball of his career right now, averaging 22.2 points per game on 60 percent shooting over his last six games.
He isn’t a good three-point shooter (31.3 percent), but he gives the Warriors everything else they need from a size (6’6″), secondary scoring (14.5 points), rebounding (4.7), passing (3.0 assists) and defensive perspective.
Marshall is making just $9 million this season and $9.4 million next season. He’s one of the biggest values in the NBA.
The Mavericks would surely love to keep him, but including him in a trade is the most obvious way to get off the contract of either Klay Thompson or Daniel Gafford. Here is a realistic trade framework for Marshall and Gafford.
3. SF Andrew Wiggins
Marc Stein reported that the Warriors will explore a Kuminga-for-Wiggins trade that brings the 2022 champion back to the Bay Area.
If the Heat were a contender, I’d be skeptical that they’d give up their starting small forward for a younger, less-established small forward. But they are just 23-22 at publish time, so trading Wiggins for Kuminga and a first-round pick would make sense.
Wiggins fills all of the Warriors’ biggest needs as a 6’7″ scoring wing who can shoot threes (39.8 percent) and defend at a high level.
2. SF Michael Porter Jr.
Siegel wrote Thursday that the Warriors are no longer pursuing Porter, which I’d argue is a mistake.
He’s the best scorer on this list (25.4 points per game), and he’s under contract through next season, which is important because if the Warriors give up two first-round picks for him, they’ll want to have him for the 2026-27 season when Butler is back.
Porter’s combination of three-point shooting (39.4 percent), size (6’10”) and rebounding (7.4 per game) would help the Warriors make the playoffs this season and, most importantly, give Curry the support he needs.
1. Trey Murphy III
It’s a great debate over whether Murphy or Porter is the better player right now. But what seals Murphy’s No. 1 ranking here is his contract.
Murphy is in the first year of a four-year, $112 million contract. If the Warriors traded for him, they could keep him for 1.5 to 2.5 years and then trade him to recoup some of the draft capital they lost to get him.
Murphy has scored at least 30 points in five of his last nine games, upping his season-long scoring average to 22.3 points per game. He’s making 38.1 percent of his threes.
He’s not a dominant defender, but he’s long (6’8″) and athletic enough to be one.
There have been conflicting reports about whether he’s available to trade for at all, and even if he is, it will cost a ton to get him.
The Warriors would be justified trading three first-round picks for him.