Inside The Warriors

New Report on Golden State Warriors’ Trade Offer for Lauri Markkanen

The Warriors have reportedly not offered Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski

Joey Linn

Dec 6, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) celebrates with forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) after a time out is called against the Portland Trail Blazers during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) celebrates with forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) after a time out is called against the Portland Trail Blazers during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
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The Golden State Warriors have been the team most heavily linked to Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen. While there is no clear indication on whether or not Utah will trade Markkanen, it seems the Warriors are interested in pairing the star forward with Steph Curry. That said, Golden State has reportedly been unwilling to offer either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandon Podziemski to this point.

In a new report from NBA insider Marc Stein via his Substack, it was reported that Golden State’s current offer to Utah does not contain either Kuminga or Podziemski, but the team would be more willing to part with Kuminga in a blockbuster trade. 

"Yet there is also a growing belief leaguewide that the Warriors would be more willing to move Jonathan Kuminga in a Markkanen trade — or any big-swing deal — than Podziemski," Stein wrote. "To this point, however, it must be noted that Golden State's offers for Markkanen have centered around a package featuring Moses Moody and draft compensation without including Podziemski or Kuminga."

As detailed in Stein’e article, not only are the Warriors very high on Podziemski, but he is also under team control for longer than Kuminga is. Kuminga is set to hit restricted free agency after next season, while Podziemski will not enter restricted free agency until after the 2026-27 season.

This means if Golden State had to choose between including one or the other in a blockbuster trade, holding onto Podziemski would give them more roster flexibility going forward, considering Kuminga will become more expensive much sooner.

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski and forward Jonathan Kuminga
Feb 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) forward Jonathan Kuminga (00), and guard Klay Thompson (11) react to call in game against Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. / Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

It remains unclear exactly what Utah would demand from Golden State in a Markkanen deal, but it has been reported that they value Podziemski highly. If Utah did demand the versatile young guard in any Markkanen deal, it seems reasonable to assume there would be no trade between the two teams.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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