Beginning with hypothetical trades, the Jonathan Kuminga to Chicago Bulls discourse has evolved into a full-blown reality. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto named the Bulls as a team to monitor as a potential sign-and-trade candidate for the underutilized swingman.
Scotto mentioned Nikola Vucevic as the likely benefactor of a potential sign-and-trade, reiterating the Golden State Warriors’ pre-trade deadline interest in the 34-year-old big man. In January, the Warriors were said to covet Vucevic as an attainable trade target, even more so than Jimmy Butler, who was coincidentally sent to the Bay Area a month later, following The Athletic’s report.
Golden State’s need for a starting-caliber center remains
While acquiring Butler was a boon for Golden State’s success, the Warriors still lacked a starting-caliber center, which ultimately led to a swift second-round exit at the hands of the much bigger Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors started three different players at center in the five-game series: 6-foot-6 Draymond Green, rookie Quinten Post, and 6-foot-9 lob threat Trayce Jackson-Davis.
As a result of the Warriors’ porous frontcourt, Julius Randle averaged 25.2 points per game in the series while Rudy Gobert totaled 9.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and shot 64.3 percent from the floor. Vucevic is by no means a defensive stopper—he’s actually quite the opposite. Still, he’s a tried and true, 6-foot-10, 260-pound big man who would elevate the Warriors in multiple facets, namely as a stretch big and post scorer.
Still, it’s impossible to tell if the Warriors’ interest in Vucevic has since waned. There hasn’t been much chatter surrounding Vucevic as a legitimate target for Golden State. Another Bulls’ starter, Coby White, has mysteriously been identified as the coveted trade target from Chicago via the Warriors’ fan base.
The Miami Heat pose a viable threat to the Bulls’ pursuit of Kuminga
However, Golden State’s avenue to acquiring a quality asset doesn’t end with the Bulls as their only viable trade partner. Scotto also named the Miami Heat as a team to monitor in the Kuminga sweepstakes. The NBA Insider referred to the 22-year-old forward as a “fallback option” for the Heat amid their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.
It’s worth concluding that Miami’s interest in Antetokounmpo and, to an extent, Durant is impractical. Antetokounmpo has been unwavering in his preference to remain a Milwaukee Buck, while Durant has narrowed his preferred destinations to three teams: the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Heat.
Therefore, impending restricted free agent Kuminga is Miami’s most feasible target. He only has one, perhaps two other (if Golden State is included), viable suitors. Nonetheless, identifying a worthy player to exchange for Kuminga on Miami’s roster in a sign-and-trade is arduous. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Kel’el Ware are likely off-limits, while Andrew Wiggins was just traded from Golden State. There aren’t many captivating players besides the aforementioned foursome.
All in all, it’s still notable that the Heat are suddenly in on Kuminga. Although the Pat Riley-led franchise doesn’t possess the most enticing trade assets, being involved in so many rumors makes the Heat a worrisome threat due to the organization’s desperation.
