Bill Simmons floats trade idea to 'fix' Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have endured a horrid November. The former dynasty has struggled to string wins together, even going on a six-game losing streak. A significant part of the Warriors' issues has been centered around the struggles of Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul, with all three starting the season slowly.
In a recent episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," the NBA analyst shared a trade idea that he believes could help get the Warriors back on the track. The deal would send Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga to the Toronto Raptors, with Pascal Siakam heading to the Bay Area.
"Wiggins and Kuminga for Siakam, who says no? Wiggins, terrible season, really since last year when he disappeared for six, eight weeks. We still don't know what happened...Kuminga, it's year three for him. I should know by year three if you have a chance of being somebody. He clearly needs a new team," Simmons said. "And then Siakam, take a flyer on him for the Warriors. Gives you a little more size, changes your team a little bit, gets you out of this Wiggins situation...I kind of like it...It's just a trade that makes sense."
Golden State has been judicious with the situations they've put Kuminga in since acquiring him in the 2021 draft. He's slowly proving himself to be a legitimate NBA talent who could become a key player for Golden State in the future. Trading Kuminga for Siakam would be a win-now move on the Warriors part. Especially considering the Raptors forward is in the final year of his current contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. have been up front about their desire to maximize the final years of their championship-winning core. If that means moving on from Wiggins and Kuminga to increase their chances of giving their star trio a fifth championship ring, they would likely do it.
However, the front office will need to weigh up whether Siakam is worth potentially losing two assets for nothing, if he doesn't remain with the Warriors past the current season.
Simmons deal makes sense on paper. It improves Golden State and gives the Raptors a building block in Kuminga and a tradeable asset in Wiggins. What it doesn't address is the fact Klay Thompson is also an impending free agent and the front office would likely want to avoid to drawn-out negotiations at the start of free agency.
Still, it's clear that Toronto could be a seller around the trade deadline and Siakam's name is going to come up in an endless amount of rumors over the coming months.
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