Warriors missed prime Jonathan Kuminga-Alex Caruso trade opportunity, per report originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While Jonathan Kuminga helped the Golden State Warriors land former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, there’s no question that his trade value wasn’t as high as it once was.
Kuminga’s breakout NBA campaign came in 2023-24, as the former lottery pick contributed a career-high 16.1 points per contest. According to a report from ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors had a ‘prime opportunity’ to trade Kuminga for ex-Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, but ultimately dropped the ball.
“In the seasons that followed, team sources theorized that Lacob's outward public belief in Kuminga and his animated celebrations of Kuminga's big moments stemmed from his desire to be proved correct in his original assessment,” Slater wrote Wednesday. “It's also why, those sources believed, Lacob had a difficult time sending out Kuminga in potential trades.”
“That included talks to land Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls at the 2024 trade deadline, viewed by some in the organization as the prime opportunity they should've pounced.”
Caruso is a two-way asset the Warriors could use right now. The Texas A&M product was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in June of 2024 and was an immediate impact contributor with the surging Western Conference franchise.
Caruso’s ability to drill perimeter jumpers at timely moments, play well without the ball, and harass opponents 30+ feet from the basket while not being afraid to defend big men in the low post was among the keys to the Thunder’s 2025 NBA championship.
At the end of the day, though, it all worked out for the Dubs this season. The seven-time NBA champions finally moved on from an asset they had little to no faith in (Kuminga) and acquired a valuable win-now piece to assist Stephen Curry moving forward (Porzingis).