Last offseason, Mike Dunleavy was adamant on keeping the Warriors’ young core intact. The reluctance to trade Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski, led to them missing out on acquiring several big-name players. The list includes Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. But following this year’s heartbreaking second-round exit, Dunleavy has realized that this strategy might not lead the Bay Area team to a championship. That’s why he seems more willing to make sacrifices this summer, which has put Moody and Kuminga’s future in jeopardy.
Per veteran reporter Pasha Mardan, “The Golden State Warriors have internally discussed packaging Moses Moody in Sign & Trade scenarios with Jonathan Kuminga.” Moody is set to begin the first year of his three-year $37.5 million deal next season, which would be perfect to club in a trade package to acquire a bigger star.
Of course, Kuminga’s future was already in question as he just finished his four-year contract and is set to become a restricted free agent. Reports suggest that Warriors will look to find a sign-and-trade for him to facilitate their goal of strengthening the core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. Combining Kuminga and Moody, who are solid young players with massive upside, could open several avenues for Dunleavy to improve his roster. While Mardan revealed Warriors’ intentions for Moody, the analyst confirmed that “these are just exploratory conversations with nothing being imminent.”
These are exploratory conversations with nothing being imminent but Golden State is exploring every avenue to improving their roster around their core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. https://t.co/kiEu0u4UO7
— Pasha Mardan (@PashaMardanNBA) June 17, 2025
In his four seasons with Golden State, Moody has shown constant year-on-year improvement. He averaged a career-high 9.8 points this season, and had similar production in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Kuminga is also a reliable 15+ point scorer, who can dominate on both ends of the floor. Although the two youngsters might not be the right fit alongside the Steph and Butler duo, they can turn into valuable assets for a different franchise. That’s why Heat and Bulls have emerged as potential suitors for Kuminga.
Heat and Bulls’ interest in Jonathan Kuminga could fill major void for Warriors
While Kuminga is not a superstar of Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calibre, he is one of the most sought-after players in the current trade market. Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Bulls and Heat are two teams worth monitoring in JK’s sign-and-trade talks. Well, Bulls and Warriors have reportedly discussed a potential Kuminga trade once before, during February’s mid-season deadline. In exchange, the Bay Area team would get Nikola Vucevic. That deal could get revisited this summer.
Of course, Warriors are in desperate need of an elite big man after they got dominated inside the paint throughout these playoffs. Even Steph addressed this issue during the end of season interview, “We need to probably get a little bit bigger across the board. Those can be addressed, but how and how you get to that I think is what Mike’s gonna have to figure out. We got confidence that he can do it.” So, packaging Kuminga and Moody’s contract to make room for Vucevic’s $21.4 million salary for next season could be the plan.
Meanwhile, Heat also have reported interest in Kuminga, and might be looking to send back Andrew Wiggins in exchange. Again, Wiggins is a solid forward who was pivotal in the Warriors’ title run three years ago. Reports suggest that Heat’s primary focus is to acquire either KD or Giannis. But if those pursuits fail, they could shift their focus to the Kuminga deal. So, Warriors have a few options on the table and Steph is ready to have those tough discussions with team management, “You hate to see guys go and what not but every team has to get better and they have to address that. I think from Joe, to Mike, Steve, our veteran leaders, like we’ll all have those conversations and try to answer those questions the best that we all can. And hopefully, make moves that make our team better. That’s what the name of the game is.” Which team do you think fits Kuminga and Moody best, and gets maximum return for Golden State?
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