Pros
In a vacuum, there’s a lot to like about the concept of completing a trade for Kuminga.
At 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, he’s an athletic forward with an attacking mentality and exceptional efficiency inside the restricted area. Due to his explosiveness and ball-handling, he’s a weapon with a head of steam, on or off the ball. He’s not the most polished shooter but has a knack for knocking down turnaround fadeaways inside the arc. At the other end, he’s confident and comfortable guarding tough assignments at the point-of-attack.
With the Mavericks needing to build around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, he’s also young enough to be part of that timeline at 23 years old. Despite his modest career scoring average (12.5 points per game), he’s been significantly more productive when his playing time increases. As a starter, he’s averaging 15.3 points in 28.1 minutes per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field. When he’s played 30+ minutes, he’s averaged 20.7 points per game on 53.6% shooting from the field.
How Come This Doesn’t Seem To Matter To Golden State?
Though he’s fallen out of favor in Golden State, the issue is mostly about fit. Not only is Dallas not a fading dynasty trying their darnedest to go out with a Mike Breen “Bang!,” they’re not nearly as fixated on the 3-ball.
For reference, the Mavericks attempt 32.5 3-pointers per game in 2025-26, the fifth-least in the league. Meanwhile, the Warriors have taken a league-high 44.5 3-pointers per game this season. Of course, since Kerr arrived in the Bay Area, the 3-ball has been their bread-and-butter, the success that they had with the then novel offense revolutionizing the league. However, though the 3-ball retains a certain level of prominence, there are multiple teams that sought to establish a different identity.
Nevertheless, the reason that Kuminga wasn’t the right player for Golden State boils down to the state of their franchise and overarching philosophy. Not talent, with the exception of his below-average outside jumper. That should ease the minds of Dallas’s front office members with regards to bringing him on board. The way Kuminga started his 2025-26 campaign– with his evolved decision-making, possessed rebounding, and sticky defense –should as well.
