The Athletic looks at some of the top potential targets, including the Utah Jazz center.It’s the age-old truth about trades in the NBA — or in any sport, for that matter. If you want to truly have a shot at landing one of the game’s greats when they become available, then you have to be willing to part ways with the kinds of players who truly move the needle for the team on the other side of the bargaining table .
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga dunks against Houston Rockets center Jock Landale during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. As our Anthony Slater expertly detailed recently, the Warriors were — in the words of owner Joe Lacob — “ALL IN” on the prospect of landing then-free agent Paul GeorgeUtah’s Lauri Markkanen this past summer.
The end certainly justified the means — two Warriors wins during a 4-1 start — but it also served as a reminder that Kuminga would probably be better off elsewhere. To be fair, Kuminga played more minutes and was more productive in those two Pelicans games than he had in the previous three . $12.5 million this season, $33.3 million next season, $36 million in 2026-27, $36 million in 2027-28
He makes $12.5 million this season and would only count for that amount as the salary match for Houston’s end. For a receiving team, however, Green would count as the average of this year’s salary and the two years on the extension before his player option — a final cap figure of $27.2 million. This Jazz team is bad, even with the recently extended Markannen shining amid the rough, and it needs to know whether Kessler is part of the long-term solution or merely a means to more precious draft assets during this post-Mitchell/Gobert rebuild. League sources say Jazz coach Will Hardy pushes Kessler quite hard behind the scenes, all with the goal of development and a clearer view of his value for the organization.