The competitive NBA season is almost upon us after the pre-season games began and the media day, training camp is out of the way.
For the Golden State Warriors, it is a genuine start of a new era, without one-half of the “Splash Brothers” after Klay Thompson signed for the Dallas Mavericks in a historic six-team deal.
This is the first campaign since 2011 that Thompson and Curry won’t be together, and a re-tooled Warriors roster will be scrutinised endlessly.
To cover for Thompson’s absence, the Warriors have gone towards a “Moneyball” approach, getting the shooting of Buddy Hield, the defense of Kyle Anderson, and a mix of both in De’Anthony Melton.
Draymond Green and Steph Curry remain on the roster which makes them a relevant team for playoffs.
However, they still look like a step below the bonafide contenders which is where their next step comes into the picture.
Warriors have generally been reticent about making earth-shattering moves during the season in the Steph Curry era but that has been for a reason.
Their core has pretty much always been fixed and they have been ride-or-die with their trinity in the past.
Now, the situation has changed vastly and the circumstances, plus their own treasure chest of assets, could change that stance.
They owe it to Curry and Green to make a final proper run for the Championship and that could include packaging those assets to land a bonafide superstar.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater predicts exactly for that to happen during the season. He thinks the Warriors will make a “significant trade” and the biggest chip they have is Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga is a contender for the Most Improved Player award and is marked by many as a potential future star but he might reach that ceiling elsewhere if Slater’s prediction comes true.
Slater said: “They have the first-rounders, flexible contracts and young talent to get a deal done. They say they’ll be aggressive. Curry will exert some polite leverage if he knows there is an upgrade out there that is reasonably available.
“Another aspect to watch is Jonathan Kuminga’s contract talks. If he extends in October, collective bargaining agreement rules make him nearly impossible to trade until next summer. If he doesn’t (my current guess), he remains an obvious and appealing trade piece.”
The Warriors tried to run an ambitious two-way timeline when they drafted James Wiseman, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga to play with their established trio.
However, the development of players is never linear and as soon as the crown jewel of those picks, Wiseman was traded, the two-way timeline of contending now and prepping for the future fell apart.
Now, they have an appealing trade piece in Kuminga whose upside plus the combination of draft picks puts the Warriors in a nice position.
It was recently reported that someone like Jimmy Butler could be traded by Miami before the end of the season.
If that transpires, the Warriors could enter the picture if they can make the finances work because that’s a certified playoffs killer.
With the two-way timeline plan scrapped, they need to commit to one and as it stands, it’s a no-brainer choice to lean into Curry’s final days in his prime.
Kuminga is set to be the sacrifice for that to happen.
