Dunleavy, Warriors willing to trade young players for right player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – While the Warriors have long resisted the idea of making Jonathan Kuminga available for trade, that stance lost some of its steam Thursday afternoon.
Kuminga and other members of Golden State’s young core — Trayce Jackson-Davis, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski — may not be on the market — but general manager Mike Dunleavy made it clear no one is untouchable.
That one or more of them would take action for the right return.
“It would have to be something that we thought would unequivocally change the trajectory of our franchise,” Dunleavy said.
Like, say, adding a nine-time NBA All-Star. Or someone who has been voted into the All-NBA team six times. Or maybe a four-time All-Defensive team member.
Paul George is all of those things rolled into one. And according to league sources, the Warriors are monitoring George’s status with the Los Angeles Clippers. He could decline his $48.8 million player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent.
And according to president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, the Clippers are bracing for that possibility.
“We’ve had ongoing conversations with Paul and Aaron Mintz, his agent,” Frank told reporters in LA on Thursday afternoon. “We love Paul. We really want to keep Paul.
“But we also understand and respect that this is a business. And players have a limited amount of time to not only make the most money, but also to pursue whatever they want.”
George, who turned 34 last month, is said to be the most attractive available UFA on the market. LeBron James isn’t leaving the Los Angeles Lakers — not with his son, Bronny, coming on board. Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey is a restricted free agent. James Harden is just less attractive than George.
“We hope that Paul’s decision is to be here,” Frank said. “He’s great. He’s been an All-Star three out of five years. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s a great person, has a great family. We hope he’s here.
“But we also respect the fact that if he chooses to withdraw, that is his choice. He has earned it. And we will see how things develop.”
That goes for the Warriors, too. After finishing sixth in the Western Conference in 2023, they dropped to 10th last season. They’re looking for a big splash.
That means adding an established star with the gifts to complement and bolster veteran leaders Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, both in their mid-30s.
George, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound wing, is one of the few potentially available players who fits the bill.
The Warriors don’t have the cap space to approach George as a free agent, so their only path to acquiring him would be via a sign-and-trade deal. That can’t happen until the new cap year begins on July 1.
There are other hurdles to such a transaction, all of which can be overcome if all parties are willing.
And it’s conceivable that the Warriors are willing to sacrifice some of their future to put themselves in position to compete for a championship.
Losing any of the four young people would be painful. But Kuminga would be the hardest to say goodbye to, especially after making significant improvement last season.
“We like those guys,” Dunleavy said. “We think they’re going to be really good, so it should be something that makes us much better than that.”
Paul George brings enough skills to make the Warriors a lot better than “good” right away. Of all the players who could be available, he may be the only one of whom that can be said.
