There’s little mystery left in CJ McCollum’s Washington chapter. He’s a 33-year-old veteran making over $30 million, riding a rebuilding roster that won’t contend, and he’s far more a cap solution than a cornerstone in D.C.’s long-term picture.
After arriving via a savvy Pelicans swap, McCollum now sits in limbo, a veteran whose expiring deal would be tailor-made for the Heat to absorb cost, shoot threes, and buy time with playoff rotation stability. Miami has both the need and the luxury cap flexibility to retool around a security-experienced combo guard without mortgaging future flexibility.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors remain locked in a war of restricted free agency: the young forward rejected Golden State’s two-year, $45 million team-option offer, insisting on long-term control, and the Suns made a $90 million sign-and-trade push backed by assets like Grayson Allen, Nick Richards, and second-rounders that the Warriors ultimately passed on.
That same dynamic inspired a four-team trade concept recently floated, where Kuminga lands in Phoenix, the Warriors receive salary-matching role players and a swap pick, and Miami and a fourth franchise break ground on a corridor of asset exchange.
Proposed Trade Details
Miami Heat Receive: CJ McCollum
Phoenix Suns Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (Sign-and-Trade)
Golden State Warriors Receive: Grayson Allen, Haywood Highsmith, Nick Richards
Washington Wizards Receive: Terry Rozier, Buddy Hield, 2027 second-round pick (OKC/NYK/SAS swap), 2031 second-round pick (PHX), 2032 second-round pick (MIA), 2032 second-round pick (GSW)
Miami Heat Add A Proven Scorer To Stay In The Playoffs
The Miami Heat plot a playoff resurrection that all but necessitates one thing: more stable, seasoned scoring off the bench. After a bitter four-game sweep at the hands of Cleveland in Round 1, Miami’s rotation felt thin beyond its core.
The internal development engine (who?) simply didn’t fire fast enough when playoff blow-ups came calling. They need a dirty workman who can stroke threes, split closeouts, and operate without max confidence on his back.
Enter CJ McCollum. Miami acquires a veteran with a documented history of postseason role-play and chemistry in dumb-dumb crunch time. The Wizards paid full price to land him in June, making clear McCollum is on an expiring deal and available if Washington sees upside in front-loaded deals.
He’s pricey, north of $30 million, but in these playoffs, that price buys forward momentum, not entitlement drama. Bottom line: this is the perfect “rental + return pick” impulse Miami should lean into if they want to tighten up perimeter offenses and remain relevant past April.
McCollum’s presence signals clarity of purpose, not cap toxicity, added seasoning without turning them into apologists. Risk? Some ball-stopping. Reward? Minutes that no summer rookie will ever be able to guarantee under playoff lights.
Phoenix Suns Add Another Franchise Cornerstone Moving Forward
For the Phoenix Suns, dragging themselves out of the Bradley Beal meltdown and Kevin Durant purgatory means anchoring on the forward scale. Jonathan Kuminga could be that unicorn. As a restricted free agent clawing for long-term control, teams like Phoenix and Sacramento are vying for his peace of mind, especially after he rebuffed Golden State’s two-year, $45 million offer in hopes of a bigger vision.
The Suns have reportedly led the pack with a $90 million sign-and-trade framework already on the table. In our hypothetical, Phoenix dangles Grayson Allen, Nick Richards, and four second-round picks, salary-matched and smoothed over a four-year extension, to groom Kuminga into their future wing anchor.
It’s a textbook cap-efficient maneuver: pay him what he wants, shore up irreparable biennial wing rotation problems, and avoid overpaying older stars that could clog future flexibility, as Beal did in ’24. Here’s the subplot: if Kuminga thrives, this isn’t a pivot, it’s a future engine.
He learns under Booker and extends the culture Phoenix has desperately wanted since the Booker-Paul days. Worst case? He flops, and the Suns still hold enough picks to salvage a core rebuild in 2027. It’s high-risk, extremely forward-thinking, and precisely what a post-Durant and erratic-seeding team should be doing.
Golden State Warriors Add Three Pieces To Help Them Contend
The Golden State Warriors may be edging toward the end of the Curry-Green-Butler era, but they haven’t entirely lost their championship mindset, especially if a complex sign-and-trade could elevate their perimeter depth. Sources indicate that GSW flat-out rejected a proposal featuring Grayson Allen, Haywood Highsmith, and Nick Richards, preferring instead to hold their draft capital and not settle for less than elite assets in a Kuminga exchange.
Still, in our version, they relented, because Allen brings instant shooting gravity next to Steph, Richards adds backup size, and Highsmith fills the defensive energy void. All three arrive on easily movable contracts, plugging holes in a rotation that largely sputtered without two-way wings last season.
It’s a three-for-one stunner that doesn’t hamstring the war chest for possible future moves like a Giannis deal or reactionary swaps. Yes, Warriors loyalists will howl that Golden State traded away Kuminga’s upside. But the reality?
They salvage short-term competitiveness while keeping a liquor-tax line open, protect their first-round equity, and realign around Curry’s last full season. It’s pragmatic, calculated turmoil, not a blow-it-up cleanse.
Washington Wizards Add Salary-Cap Players And 4 Picks
For the Washington Wizards, every roster move is carefully orchestrated to address future needs and secure incoming capital. Their front office famously took on both Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum not for long-term wins, but to purge chronic inflated salary and position themselves with $100M+ in cap room for 2026, freeing up for a shake-and-bake rebuild with $160M+ payroll now balanced by young salaries and expiring deals.
In this proposal, Wizards trade away McCollum to Miami, taking back Terry Rozier, Buddy Hield, and 4 second-round picks as part of the salary-matching scheme. Rozier, despite off-court rumors, still checks in at $26.6 million next season and solves cap-level headaches; Hield is an $8-9M vet wing who spaces a court, but is expendable if Washington wants true long-term cap space.
The picks, four bits of liquid equity, are what Washington really craves. This solves two puzzles: it frees them from McCollum’s costly over-30 price tag and brings in tradable assets while maintaining cap juice.
Rozier and Hield become assets for future chunk deals, and the picks let the Wizards freeze-pose draft flexibility throughout 2027 and 2029. It’s certainly a cunning deal: Washington gets a short-term infusion, preserves payroll flexibility, and pops open the door for real rebuild options mid-season or next summer.
