NBA rumors: Warriors shut down Kuminga trade for one particular player

The first 35 games of the 2023-24 NBA season have been turbulent for the Golden State Warriors, to say the least.

Frustrations are beginning to mount in the Warriors locker room including forward Jonathan Kuminga, who has lost faith in head coach Steve Kerr (subscription required) to maximize his potential. With the NBA Trade Deadline looming, Kuminga’s name is surfacing in trade rumors. However, the Warriors have already shut down the possibility of trading Kuminga for one particular player on the trade block.

Kuminga is not on the table in Pascal Siakam trade 

Sitting at 17-18 and in 10th place in the Western Conference standings, the Warriors have failed to live up to expectations this season. Not to mention, they’re now expected to be without future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul for the next four to six weeks. Reports have indicated that the Warriors will be ‘aggressive’ in an attempt to upgrade their roster leading up to the deadline.

As a result, they have been linked to two-time All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors in trade rumors. Even with the disappointing start to the season and Paul’s injury, the Warriors have expressed reluctance to trade Kuminga for Siakam.

Siakam, who turns 30 in April, is in the final season of a four-year, $136.9 million contract extension he signed in 2019. With Siakam’s pending free agency, it’d be a risky proposition for the Warriors to trade a talented 21-year-old forward they selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft without any reassurance that Siakam would re-sign with the team.

If he is willing to sign a long-term extension with the Warriors, are the Warriors willing to dip into the luxury tax by Siakam a max-level contract?

General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. wants to revamp the Warriors roster in an attempt to remain competitive while 35-year-old point guard Stephen Curry is still playing at an elite level. With that said, he will not be willing to compromise the future of the franchise by trading Kuminga unless he feels confident that it will bring them closer to contention. Based on the reading of the tea leaves, Dunleavy does not feel that Siakam will move the needle in Golden State enough to make trading Kuminga worth it.