Proposed Trade Lands Stretch-Five Shot Blocker With Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are in dire need of some additional size in the middle of the floor.

The addition of Al Horford is yet to pay dividends, as the veteran big man continues to adapt to a new style of play and life in the Bay Area. Even if Horford does find his footing, Golden State still needs a long-term solution at the center position.

With that in mind, ClutchPoint’s Bailey Bassett has proposed a trade that would land Myles Turner with the franchise. The trade idea looks like this:

Warriors Get: Myles Turner

Milwaukee Bucks Get: Jonathan Kuminga, De’Anthony Melton and two second-round draft picks.

“If Giannis Antetokounmpo is traded, the Bucks will likely look to move Myles Turner as well,” Bassett wrote. “In the event of a full-blown rebuild, Milwaukee will want to get younger, and Jonathan Kuminga still has loads of potential. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, get the big man that has been missing for all of the Stephen Curry era. Turner would provide the interior defense that is missing on the Warriors’ roster. He also fits Golden State’s 3-point mantra, as he is one of the best shooting bigs in NBA history.”

Turner is only a few months removed from playing in the NBA Finals. He would be a strong addition to Steve Kerr’s roster and provide the shooting with size the franchise has been looking for.

Last season, Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2 blocks per game, shooting 39.6% from deep on 5.8 attempts a night.

---

Trading Turner Would Be Bad Optics For The Bucks

During the offseason, the Bucks opted to waive and stretch Damian Lillard‘s contract. In doing so, Milwaukee’s front office added $25 million of dead cap space onto its salary sheet for the next five years. The move was made to free up the funds needed to pry Turner away from the Indiana Pacers.

Moving on from Turner so soon after making such a risky decision would be terrible optics for the Bucks franchise. Not only did they cut loose a future Hall of Fame point guard who is out with a long-term injury, but they also hamstrung themselves with a significant amount of dead money to get the deal over the line.

Milwaukee would have to tear down the entire roster to save face on what was a “chips all in” move.

---

Kuminga’s Future With Warriors In Question

After spending the entire offseason locked in a standoff with the Warriors’ front office, Kuminga is once again being floated in trade talks. He has fallen out of Steve Kerr’s rotation and is clearly on borrowed time with the franchise.

However, Golden State isn’t expected to let the former seventh-overall draft pick leave at a discount. According to a Dec. 29 report from Marc Stein, the franchise is “determined” to get fair value for the explosive forward.

“The Warriors are known to be determined to find the best possible trade headlined by Jonathan Kuminga and his $22.5 million salary (with a $24.3 million team option next season) once the out-of-favor swingman becomes trade-eligible on Jan. 15,” Stein reported.

Including Kuminga in a Turner deal would undoubtedly represent fair value. Nevertheless, there will likely be multiple teams checking on Kuminga’s availability and what the Warriors want in a trade package.

So, even with a Turner move looking unlikely, there’s a high chance Kuminga moves teams before the Feb. 5 trade deadline passes.

 

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor