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

The Warriors have reportedly not offered Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski

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

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."

Lauri ... Ant ... Thibs ... Carlik (!) and MORE ... let's go around the league in the Sunday NBA Notes: https://t.co/SBz4gs70C2 https://t.co/XR2PJtBkCE

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 21, 2024

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.

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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