The 2022-23 NBA season is almost over, with 27 teams already in their offseason and the NBA Finals less than a week away. This means trade and free-agent chatter is going to start dominating the news once again.
The Golden State Warriors’ disastrous end to the season has prompted fans to push for changes to the roster, using Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga as the primary assets. A trade suggested by The Athletic between Golden State and the Houston Rockets has been mocked endlessly by fans.
Trade Details
Houston Rockets Receive: Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga
Golden State Warriors Receive: Kevin Porter Jr., Jae’Sean Tate, Kenyon Martin Jr., 2023 No. 4 Pick, 2025 First-Round Pick, 2027 First-Round Pick
The Athletic’s trade idea:
Rockets receive:
Jordan Poole
Jonathan Kuminga
Warriors receive:
Kevin Porter Jr.
Jae’Sean Tate
K.J. Martin
No. 4 pick in 2023
2025 first round pick
2027 first round pick
(Via @KellyIko https://t.co/3n4WO8JE1q) pic.twitter.com/65W3ucc9CG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 25, 2023
One fan said no biased person would ever come up with such a one-sided trade for the Warriors.
A warriors fan must've came up with this garbage trade🤣
— kusang2k (@m52773827) May 25, 2023
Fans called this trade stinky.
— Nico (@screwstonic) May 25, 2023
Someone wondered if this idea was suggested by someone under the influence.
Pass the dope
— ADC 🏁 (@3iTies) May 25, 2023
Some fans said the Warriors were getting the best player in the deal given how Poole and Kuminga ended their season.
Kevin porter jr is the best player in the deal…
— Russell Thomas (@RunGoodRussell) May 25, 2023
Fans were really upset with how one-sided this suggestion was.
So Houston gets nothing and Warriors get everything?!?!
— AJ Lusby (@AJ_Lusby) May 25, 2023
This was not a win-win trade and fans saw it clearly.
what kind of one-sided trade is this 😭
— Cicelia (@itsciceliax) May 25, 2023
If the players weren’t enough, giving up the fourth pick and two more first-round picks made this trade seem even more asinine.
those first round picks are crazy for the warriors
— jetpacks (@kylejetpacks) May 25, 2023
Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga have value, but that value is yet to be unlocked and cannot be unlocked within the Warriors system if they want to keep pushing for titles. To suggest that these distressed assets can be moved for a superstar-level trade package is just not sound.
Why This Trade Would Not Be On The Table
The no. 4 pick in the 2023 Draft is an exceedingly valuable asset that no team would move for players like Poole and Kuminga. Just that one pick would be a more valuable asset than the two Warriors’ stars that ended the season horribly. On top of that, giving up three rotational players and two future picks makes this look like a trade offer for someone like Damian Lillard, not Poole and Kuminga.
The Warriors can have reasonable trade partners for Poole and Kuminga, but Houston just isn’t one. They want to sign James Harden and already have Jalen Green, so Poole doesn’t fit. Kuminga is an interesting asset given the ceiling he can rise to, but Poole’s contract looks worse with the new CBA rules. Teams won’t be willing to take that without the Warriors giving up assets, let alone expecting three first-round picks in return.
This trade wouldn’t even make Golden State that much better in the present, so it’s a very weird trade that has justifiably irked fans on social media.
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