The Golden State Warriors are straight-up balling right now, riding a scorching three-game winning streak even without their explosive young forward Jonathan Kuminga, who went down with a knee injury just 12 minutes into Wednesday’s clash against the San Antonio Spurs.
Steph Curry turned into a human torch, dropping a jaw-dropping 47.5 points per game in back-to-back demolitions of the Spurs, fueling massive dubs for the Dubs. Then, Moses Moody exploded for a career-high 32 points, leading Golden State to a dominant 124-106 smackdown of the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday—all while Kuminga watched from the sidelines.
With Kuminga sidelined and the Warriors firing on all cylinders with seamless team hoops, the 23-year-old’s spot in the rotation is suddenly under the microscope for the first time since his restricted free agency drama this offseason.
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy is primed to flip the high-flying wing for a proven star, and The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami is dropping truth bombs, suggesting Sacramento Kings’ scoring machine DeMar DeRozan could be the perfect veteran jolt for this aging squad still chasing rings.
“DeRozan is another old guy (36), but he would be a nice complementary wing scorer for Curry and Butler, and he makes just the right amount: $23.4 million this season, with two years after that,” Kawakami penned on Thursday.
Bottom line: Steph and the Warriors are laser-focused on hoisting another Larry O’Brien Trophy. If Golden State wants to snag their eighth title—and fifth in the Curry-Draymond Green era—a straight-up Kuminga-for-DeRozan swap isn’t as wild as it sounds.
The 36-year-old DeRozan has been stuck in losing purgatory the last few seasons, but linking up with Curry and Jimmy Butler in the Bay could reignite that fire, giving the three-time All-NBA stud a shot at glory.
In 14 games for the dismal 3-11 Kings this 2025-26 season, DeRozan’s been efficient as ever, pumping in 18.8 points, dishing 3.5 assists, and swiping 1.1 steals per game while draining 39.4% from deep.
Yeah, that three-ball might not stick forever, but DeRozan’s mid-range mastery would inject a killer dimension into the Warriors’ attack if a deal goes down.
His silky in-between game is still elite in Year 17, boasting a sizzling 55.5% clip from 3-16 feet.
If the Dubs can swing a trade for the NBA’s No. 25 all-time scorer (25,555 points and counting), DeRozan’s savvy vet presence and ice-cold isolation scoring could be the clutch weapon that pushes this squad over the top.