The Golden State Warriors‘ first-class organization urgently wants to see their team fly once again and end their two-year championship hiatus.
The Warriors (4-1) are off to a blistering start to the 2024-25 NBA season in the post-Klay Thompson era. They are getting contributions from a handful of key contributors, but one of their treasured young talents has not taken the next step they were envisioning thus far.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga was on a trajectory toward All-Stardom last year, but his regression through their first five games of the current campaign has Golden State’s top brass highly entertaining moving him in exchange for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
Warriors seriously entertaining a Jonathan Kuminga – Jimmy Butler trade with Heat
Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells relayed a report from The Athletic, which revealed the Warriors’ increasing interest in parlaying Kuminga as a trade centerpiece to form another juggernaut big four centered around Butler and superstar Stephen Curry:
“Per The Athletic’s Sam Amick and John Hollinger, rival NBA executives believe the Warriors are “more willing than ever” to include Jonathan Kuminga in a trade, and they are keeping an eye on Jimmy Butler if the Miami Heat decide to move the six-time All-Star,” Wells cited.
Kuminga has not played up to his potential so far this season
Kuminga is averaging 11.4 points and 3.4 rebounds a night. That is a sharp regression from the 16.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG he boasted in the previous campaign. What’s most alarming is his career-low 40.8 percent clip from the field.
Golden State is in a position where they must maximize the championship window they have with Curry, 36, and Draymond Green, 34, before age takes over. Butler serves as an elite two-way star that can stand next to any of the top-10 players in the league when the lights shine brightest.
The Marquette product, along with Curry, Green, and Andrew Wiggins, could form a potent two-way big four that can check all of the boxes on both ends of the floor. Butler can be counted on for roughly 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 47.6 percent shooting from the floor and 85.1 percent from the foul line, which is what he’s put up over his last 11 seasons and running.
Though off to a bit of a slow start in the scoring department this season at 16.8 PPG, he remains one of the most feared clutch performers and on-ball defenders in the league. Curry would benefit from having a second star who can consistently get 40 points when needed in the playoffs and bring attitude and grit that would only multiply next to Green on both ends.
Butler isn’t expected to sign a contract extension in Miami and is headed for free agency in the summer of 2025, which makes the likelihood of him getting dealt this season a reality. With him in town, Golden State would instantly enter the mix as favorites to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June.