The Golden State Warriors have some tough decisions to make before the trade deadline of the 2025-26 NBA season after Jimmy Butler III’s season-ending ACL injury.
There are some avenues the team can take to remain stable as a playoff contender or ignite the start of a long-term rebuild. One of their approaches could involve a reunion with one of their former players who helped them win the 2022 NBA Finals.
Warriors Predicted to Trade Jonathan Kuminga for Former Player
Butler tore his right ACL during the second half of the Warriors’ blowout win over the Miami Heat, his former team, on Jan. 19. It will force him to be out for the rest of the season, putting his future with the franchise into question.
Golden State will now have to make moves to address its significant hole at the wing position. While Jonathan Kuminga can immediately insert himself into that role, the Warriors could present a scenario where they trade the young and athletic forward to bring back forward Andrew Wiggins, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that one avenue which will certainly be explored is the prospect of a Kuminga-for-Andrew Wiggins swap with Miami that potentially brings Wiggins back to the Bay Area after he was shipped to South Beach last February for Butler,” Stein wrote.
“Yet it must also be noted that the prospect of keeping Kuminga beyond the trade deadline in the hopes that playing him for the rest of the season rebuilds some of his lost value — untenable as that might seem on some level given all the tension that has built up between the parties since last summer’s contentious restricted free agency talks — in indeed on the Warriors’ board.
“Picking up Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option for next season to include that salary in a more impactful offseason trade is seen as a consideration that Golden State will undoubtedly weigh as it considers its next steps.”
Wiggins represented the Warriors from 2020 to 2025, appearing in 307 total games. The former 2014 first overall pick earned his only All-Star selection in 2022 as he helped Golden State win the title that year. In the six-game championship series against the Boston Celtics, he averaged 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Wiggins was halfway through his four-year, $109 million contract extension he signed with Golden State in 2022 before the team sent him to Miami for Butler in 2025. He is progressing through the third year of the deal, making over $28 million this season, as next year is a $30 million player option.
What’s Next on Schedule for Warriors?
Wiggins certainly provided solid value as a two-way player for the Warriors during his six-year stint. Given how Kuminga has been unable to fit into the team’s system, it does fuel the idea that Golden State might carry out the move to get a player who knows how to fit into Steve Kerr’s style of play.
Golden State has a 25-21 record on the season, holding the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Portland Trail Blazers by 1.5 games and the Los Angeles Clippers by four games. However, they trail the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers by 2.5 games.
The Warriors will continue their four-game road trip as they prepare for their second and third matchups. They face the Timberwolves in a back-to-back on Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. ET and Jan. 26 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
