Despite being in their sixth Finals in eight years, there is a sense that the Golden State Warriors aren’t quite where they want to be as a team.
Mostly, the questions revolve around young studs Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman, who have played a very limited role for the Warriors this season.
Now, ahead of Game 4, one league executive thinks it could be beneficial for the franchise to trade those players for a more experienced and impactful veteran.
The executive, who works for an Eastern Conference team, floated the following trade as a possibility in conversation with Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney:
Toronto Raptors receive: F Jonathan Kuminga and C James Wiseman
Golden State Warriors receive: F OG Anunoby
While Anunoby — who averaged 17.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 36.3% from deep in 2021-22 — has been a key cog in Toronto since entering the league five years ago, the exec believes that his future may ultimately lie elsewhere.
“He can play three positions, he can guard five positions, he can shoot the three,” the exec said. “The Raptors really wanted to build around him but they’re not so sure now.”
“For a long-term replacement on Wiggins, he is perfect,” the exec said. “He does a lot of what Wiggins does, maybe a better shooter and a better defender, but not quite the same pure scorer.”
The Warriors’ roster is a mixed bag of accomplished stars and rising young prospects. On one hand, it has them in a position to compete while also building up their future. On the other hand, keeping the young guys may be costing them a title.
Had they traded Kuminga or Wiseman for other players at the deadline, they might be better equipped to handle the Celtics in these Finals.
No matter what happens in this series, you can expect the Warriors to look for ways ti improve this summer, and the addition of Anunoby would certainly do that.
