Why the Warriors haven’t made any player trades or free agency moves this summer
SAN FRANCISCO As Western Conference contenders move heaven and earth to sign superstars and teams maneuver via exchange and free agency to add talent one franchise has remained stuck in place The Warriors have yet to make a single free agent signing or exchange for a veteran NBA sportsman their only move thus far being a pair of draft-day swaps In fact the club s only shakeup was losing longtime center Kevon Looney to the Pelicans Why have the Warriors been stuck in neutral Well first Golden State has still been linked to players as they wait for the Jonathan Kuminga situation more on that later to be resolved Former guard De Anthony Melton has been floated as a accomplishable target of general manager Mike Dunleavy the majority in the last few days by reporter Marc Stein who called the Warriors a strong contender for Melton The -year-old played six games with the Warriors last season before he was cut down with an ACL injury and could be a cheap option for a group that has precious little cap space available He would also fill the role of Gary Payton II should the Warriors let him walk in free agency Al Horford the ageless wonder of a shooting big who is entering his th season in the league is also an unrestricted free agent and has been shared by Stein to be the top target of the squad in desperate need of depth at center Horford shot from -point range with Boston last season and is still a heady defender at years old Neither of those moves appears likely to be made until the Warriors figure out what will happen with Kuminga the talented but inconsistent -year-old forward who has tantalized with his athleticism and scoring just as often as he has frustrated with his mental mistakes and skills beyond bucket-getting Kuminga and the crew failed to come to terms on a contract extension last summer and his pending free agency loomed over the company last season Now as a restricted free agent Kuminga could receive an offer from another crew and if the Warriors match the number then he would return to Golden State The Warriors could also let him walk or more likely orchestrate a sign-and-trade with the interested association Kuminga has interest from the Heat rival Kings and Wizards The Athletic has published but no concrete movement has occurred yet Kuminga is expected to meet with Dunleavy coach Steve Kerr and the organization when the Warriors go to the Las Vegas Summer League later this week Related Articles NBA Summer League takeaways Alex Toohey has up-and-down debut for Warriors A dream delayed Bay Area s Chance McMillian has Warriors career put on pause Warriors make official two trades to add rookies NBA Summer League takeaways Warriors rookie Will Richard makes debut vs Spurs Warriors involved in NBA s biggest bargain ever A sign-and-trade would allow the other crew to offload contracts and for Golden State to possibly add veteran contributors to a roster that is led by Steph Curry Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green Those three make million total this season and Golden State with or without Kuminga will need to be creative to avoid the team-building penalties that come with spending more than the salary cap of million and first apron of million The Warriors do have a mid-level exception they can use to sign a sportsman although how large the contract can be depends on whether Golden State enters the luxury tax or not There is still plenty of time and players available for the Warriors to add talent to the club in search of a fifth title of the Curry era but specific of the larger names are being snapped up from the marketplace
