While Jonathan Kuminga’s months-long restricted free agency standoff with the Golden State Warriors has been resolved, his long-term future with the franchise isn’t set in stone. Blue Man Hoop’s Peter O’Keefe outlined how Golden State could eventually flip the 2021 No. 7 pick as part of a package for one of its “top trade targets.”
On Sept. 30, Kuminga signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract to return to the Bay Area after navigating several hurdles surrounding the deal’s structure and value. The athletic 23-year-old forward ultimately settled for a team option in the second year, positioning him for a possible midseason trade once he becomes eligible to be moved in mid-January.
NBA Analyst Floats Blockbuster Trade Sending Bam Adebayo to the Warriors
On Sunday, O’Keefe shared a trade framework that would send Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo to Golden State. In exchange, the organization would part with Kuminga, salary filler, and future draft capital.
Proposed Deal
Warriors Receive: Bam Adebayo, Pelle Larsson
Heat Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, 2028 and 2032 first-round picks
The analyst cited ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel’s Friday report about Adebayo being “at the top of the Warriors’ list of potential trade targets” as the basis for the proposal. According to O’Keefe, the possibility of acquiring an elite two-way center without breaking up their star-studded core would be a no-brainer.
“Being able to add Adebayo to the star veteran trio of [Stephen] Curry, [Jimmy] Butler [III], and [Draymond] Green would make Golden State look far more formidable and immediately increase its chances of winning a championship in the short-term,” O’Keefe wrote.
“The defensive front court combination of Adebayo and Green might just be the best in the league, while their combined passing skills and the former’s improving 3-point shot could negate potential spacing concerns offensively,” he added.
Beyond the deal bolstering the Warriors’ near-term prospects, the writer added that Adebayo, whose three-year, $160,838,784 contract extension doesn’t kick in until the 2026-27 campaign, could be a long-term cornerstone.
“Adebayo’s also young enough (28)Â that he could have plenty of years as an ideal replacement for Green’s defense and playmaking,” O’Keefe reasoned. “He may not be the complete franchise star you want in the early post-Curry years, but you could certainly do worse, and at the very least, he’s a quality number two or three.”
From Miami’s perspective, O’Keefe views moving on from Adebayo for a package headlined by Kuminga as a “strong start” to a full-on rebuild. The franchise is coming off a middling 37-win 2024-25 season, with little hope of contending in 2026.
That said, the analyst acknowledged that the future first-round picks, not Kuminga, would be the “real value,” with Golden State’s three best players being 35 to 37.
Still, the deal would hinge on Heat president Pat Riley’s willingness to take a step back and embrace a forward-thinking approach, something the 80-year-old may resist.
