Would you rather have JK or OG?
That’s the question Bob Myers and the Warriors front office reportedly were mulling before Thursday’s 12 p.m. PT trade deadline. According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s C.J. Holmes, Toronto's asking price in a potential Warriors trade for OG Anunoby was too high, as Raptors president Masai Uriji wanted Jonathan Kuminga, other player(s) and draft picks.
Ultimately, Golden State elected to hold on to its high-flying 20-year-old wing, who has become a rotation player for coach Steve Kerr this season. Instead of Anunoby, the team shored up its defense with the acquisition of Gary Payton II, for the five second-round picks received in a three-way deal for James Wiseman.
Earlier in the day, shortly before the deadline, Shams Charania of The Athletic also reported that the Warriors had emerged as a “serious contender” for Anunoby.
Anunoby and Kuminga make for an interesting comparison. Listed at 6-foot-7, 232 pounds, Anunoby can be a stopper capable of slowing down Kevin Durant, who is back in the Western Conference with the Phoenix Suns. Kuminga, listed at 6-foot-7, 226 pounds, thinks he can guard anybody in the league.
Anunoby, 25, has been pretty consistent offensively the past three seasons, as he’s averaging 16.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in that span while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point land. We pretty much know what OG is capable of, but JK seems to be just getting started.
Perhaps Kuminga could eventually grow to those surface numbers, but he is so young and his ceiling looks much higher. In 43 games this season, Kuminga is averaging 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc. Like Anunoby with a successful Raptors team early in his career, the young Kuminga is trying to establish himself on a veteran-laden team.
Kerr is already confident in letting Kuminga guard the opposition’s best player, from point guards to power forwards. Players like Payton, Kuminga, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins should be a force together on defense.
Kuminga possesses rare athleticism that you can’t teach and is learning how to play without the ball offensively. He is also quietly showing the potential to be a deadly spot-up shooter, as he has made 12-of-25 3-pointers (48 percent) in 10 games since returning from a foot injury. If Kuminga can become a legit shooting threat to pair with his cutting and dunk ability, watch out.
When it comes to finances, it’s a no-brainer to keep Kuminga in house and develop him, rather than take on Anunoby’s salary. Golden State has exercised Kuminga’s 2023-24 option for $6 million, which is less than a third of the $18.6 million Anunoby is due next year. Luxury taxes only multiply those salary figures. Anunoby is a smart player who could have fit well into the Warriors plans this season, but the cost of his contract, losing Kuminga, perhaps Moses Moody and draft picks would have been steep.
The Warriors have made a decision on who’s going to join Jordan Poole in leading the next generation of the franchise when Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond are done. It's not Wiseman. Poole is 23 and Kuminga is 20 and could be leading the franchise cornerstones of the future. First-rounders Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Moody are also 20 and could grow into bigger roles.
