The Golden State Warriors fell to 10-10 on Wednesday night after suffering a 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets.
The mediocre record has caught many analysts off guard after the Warriors started the season 4-1 and were projected to be a top-three seed by ESPN and other media outlets.
Amid their struggles, the most obvious fix is to trade disgruntled fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga for a player who fits the Warriors’ pace-and-space system. If there’s one player who fits that mold, it’s former NBA champion Michael Porter Jr., who is enjoying a career year in his first season with the Brooklyn Nets.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a Warriors trade package that would see the franchise part with Kuminga and others in exchange for MPJ.
Proposed Warriors Trade Idea
Warriors would get: Michael Porter Jr.
Nets would get: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a 2028 first-round pick swap
Buckley argued that while the outgoing haul for MPJ may be too high, given his salary of $38.3 million, the Warriors don’t have too many options in the immediate future.
“Porter’s shot-making could be a godsend for Golden State, which has struggled to find consistent scoring around Stephen Curry,” he wrote.
“And while Porter is arguably overpaid ($38.3 million this season), the Warriors might be willing to stomach that blow since his contract will expire at the same time when Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all exhaust their current deals (2027).”
Kuminga Can’t Be Traded Just Yet
Kuminga, who signed a two-year, $46.8 million extension last summer, isn’t eligible to be traded before Jan. 15, 2026. However, the Warriors could potentially discuss trades with teams beforehand and pull the trigger when Kuminga becomes trade-eligible.
Although the Warriors have tried to mend fences with Kuminga, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Congolese forward will be better off elsewhere. Buckley explained why it’s a lost cause for Golden State to make the Kuminga experiment work.
“While Kuminga signed a new pact with Golden State this summer, making him ineligible for a trade until mid-January, it felt like less of a long-term commitment and more of a short-term solution to a long-held problem. He’s always been a tricky fit for this system (at least in head coach Steve Kerr’s eyes), and he has yet to enjoy the kind of featured role typically handed to someone of his draft caliber (No. 7 pick in 2021).
“The Warriors could use someone who makes quicker decisions with the basketball and helps better space the floor. Someone like Porter, who was an ultra-efficient play-finisher alongside Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray in Denver and has remained nearly as efficient despite handling a much more featured role in Brooklyn.”
Kuminga, currently sidelined with a knee injury, has averaged 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists from 13 games in his fifth season with the Warriors. He started the season in red-hot form, tallying 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists through his first six games, while shooting 45% from deep. Those numbers subsequently dropped, leading Steve Kerr to bench him in favor of rookie Will Richard.
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