The Golden State Warriors fell short of acquiring Kevin Durant at the trade deadline and settled for Jimmy Butler, who they acquired in a blockbuster five-team trade that saw Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson head to the Miami Heat. Despite falling short of bringing back the guy who won two Finals MVPs with Golden State, they were willing to put all of their chips on the table.
Warriors offered Jonathan Kuminga in potential Durant deal
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on NBA Today that the Warriors were willing to include Jonathan Kuminga in a deal that would have Durant head back to the Bay Area and Butler head to the Phoenix Suns along with Kuminga.
“The Warriors made several aggressive offers, including one framework I’m told in a three-way that would have sent Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, first-round picks, second-round picks and swaps to the Phoenix Suns,” Charania said. “But once Durant made it clear he did not want a reunion, he did not want to go back to the Warriors, the organization backed off.”
The Warriors have valued Kuminga highly
The Warriors were willing to offer whoever they needed to land Durant. Kuminga, who is only 22-years-old, has been valued very highly by Golden State, and they have previously refused to offer him in big trades because of the upside he has.
This season, he is averaging 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 32 games. He continues to grow his game each season and is only expected to get better as his game matures more.
Golden State wasn’t the only team that made a late push for Durant, as the Minnesota Timberwolves were also involved and attempted to make a last-minute deal with Phoenix. Ultimately, the deadline passed with Durant remaining with the Suns, so everybody who made an offer for the superstar was out of luck.
Butler is expected to make his Warriors debut on Saturday night when they take on the Chicago Bulls, the team he began his career with.