Warriors urged to add three-time All-Star as Jonathan Kuminga replacement

The Golden State Warriors have been stuck in the same spot all summer, and it might be time to move on.

Over the past several weeks, the Warriors have been stuck in a stalemate with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. Golden State’s 2021 first-round pick has been in and out of the lineup throughout his career, and neither side seems excited about the idea of continuing their partnership into next season.

Despite the lack of excitement, all signs still point to Golden State hanging on to Kuminga for at least one more year. Of course, if a sign-and-trade opportunity that the Warriors like finally pops up, they might not hesitate to send Kuminga out the door.

To make that decision even easier, Golden State might be wise to target another player in free agency. As suggested by Fansided’s Peter O’Keefe, Golden State could target Ben Simmons to replace Kuminga if he gets traded.

Although Kuminga is a better player than Simmons at this stage of their careers, Simmons could give Golden State what it needs. Kuminga wants to have the ball and get his own opportunities, regardless of how it impacts the team.

Meanwhile, Simmons can simply be a plug-and-play guy defensively while providing some solid playmaking on offense. At his peak, Simmons could effectively be a lesser version of Draymond Green for the Warriors.

Considering Kuminga simply doesn’t fit anything that Golden State wants to accomplish, the team would be wise to cut ties with its former first-round pick. Whether Simmons is the right replacement is up for debate, but he would almost certainly be a better fit for the Warriors than Kuminga.