Draymond Green would have loved to be teammates with LeBron James, but not if it meant parting with Jonathan Kuminga. During the NBA All-Star Game ALTCAST with Charles Barkley and Taylor Rooks, Green revealed he told Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob to not include Kuminga in any package for LeBron.
“When I talked to Joe on the phone and we were discussing what we have to give up, I said if it’s Kuminga, the answer is no,” Green said.
"The one thing the NBA does not want to see, is Anthony Davis & Kuminga together for the next 10 years. That would be scary!" 👀
Chuck asked Draymond about recent Lakers-Warriors trade rumors
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That’s quite interesting. When it was reported that the Warriors tried to acquire LeBron to pair him with Stephen Curry, it was revealed that Green was the one who encouraged Lacob to try to pull it off. Draymond had also tried to get his and LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, to convince James to join the Warriors.
Green later stated that the reporting wasn’t fully accurate and that the idea was put to him. He thought it was interesting and decided to contact Paul about it. Whatever the case, if Golden State had to give up Kuminga in the trade, then Green would have been against it. If we do go by his word here, then it speaks to just how highly he rates Kuminga.
After the Warriors drafted him with the seventh pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga found playing time somewhat hard to come by in his first two seasons. It was only in this 2023-24 campaign that head coach Steve Kerr finally gave him a bigger role, and he has impressed.
Kuminga has started 26 games this season and has averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in them. He has shown by now that he can be a reliable second option on offense next to Curry.
Kuminga has also played a key role in the Warriors winning eight of their last 10 games to improve to 27-26 on the season. With the promise that he has shown, you would get why Green wants Kuminga to remain a Warrior.
Should The Warriors Give Up Kuminga For LeBron?
If we just look at this scenario on paper, the Warriors would be giving up a 21-year-old Kuminga for a 39-year-old LeBron. You normally would say a trade involving players of that age doesn’t make a lot of sense, but one of the players here is James, so it’s not a normal situation.
LeBron, who is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game this season, has a couple of years left in him for sure. That gives the Warriors a couple of seasons in which they’d be one of the title favorites.
Is giving up Kuminga too steep a price for that? I don’t believe so, especially if they are desperate to win another title in this Curry era. As presently constructed, I don’t think the Warriors are serious title contenders. If they are to win another championship or two with Curry, then they need to make a splash.
The only way they would be able to do that is by giving up Kuminga, who is the only player who has great trade value on the roster, except for Curry. I believe Kuminga is going to be a very good player but by the time he is in his prime, the currently 35-year-old Curry would have retired. It would sting for sure to give up a talented young player, but I think the potential rewards would ease the blow.
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