NBA writer sketches eight-team deal that ships Kuminga to Utah and reunites Thompson with Golden State
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Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus has outlined a sprawling eight-team trade concept that would become possible after Jan. 14, the date when Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga becomes eligible to be moved. The proposal would send the 21-year-old to the Utah Jazz and bring four-time champion Klay Thompson back to the Warriors.
How the hypothetical trade breaks down
Warriors would receive
- Klay Thompson (from Mavericks)
- Jonathan Isaac (from Magic)
- Day’Ron Sharpe (from Nets)
- Garrett Temple (from Raptors)
- 2027 first-round pick via Jazz
Jazz would receive
- Jonathan Kuminga (from Warriors)
- Hunter Tyson (from Nuggets)
- Nigel Hayes-Davis (from Suns)
- $2.5 million in cash from Suns
Mavericks would receive
- Cam Thomas (from Nets)
- Jalen Pickett (from Nuggets)
- $8.5 million trade exception created by moving Thompson
Magic would receive
- Buddy Hield (from Warriors)
- Haywood Highsmith (from Nets)
- $5.8 million trade exception tied to Isaac
Nets would receive
- Al Horford, Trayce Jackson-Davis (both from Warriors)
- Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang (both from Jazz)
- Jett Howard (from Magic)
- 2026 Lakers second-round pick (via Raptors)
- 2027 Clippers second-round pick (via Jazz)
- 2030 Mavericks second-round pick
- 2031 76ers second-round pick (via Jazz)
- $2.8 million from Raptors, $2.7 million from Nuggets, $2.5 million from Suns
Nuggets would receive
- $2.2 million trade exception for Hunter Tyson
- $2.2 million trade exception for Jalen Pickett
Raptors would receive
- $2.3 million trade exception for Garrett Temple
Suns would receive
- $2.0 million trade exception for Nigel Hayes-Davis
Rationale behind the scenario
Golden State is widely expected to gauge the market for Kuminga once the restriction on trading newly signed contracts passes. The forward agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract last summer that includes a team option, giving any acquiring club flexibility to restructure his deal next offseason.
Thompson, currently on the Mavericks in this scenario, has reportedly shown interest in joining a contender, and a reunion with Stephen Curry and the Warriors has long carried sentimental weight in the Bay Area.
Deals involving eight franchises, numerous rotation players, multiple draft assets, trade exceptions and cash rarely reach completion, but Pincus’ outline illustrates one path that could satisfy Golden State’s interest in moving Kuminga while bringing back a familiar star.
Source: Hoops Wire