For all of the change the Phoenix Suns have managed to achieve with their roster this offseason, one deal they couldn't get over the line was adding Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors. Unlike in years gone by when being stuck in the second apron was the reason for trade talks coming undone, the Suns found themselves with a very different problem.
With Kevin Durant having been traded to the Houston Rockets, Phoenix just didn't have the players to interest the Warriors in coming to the table. Veterans like Grayson Allen, Nick Richards and Royce O'Neale have their place in the league, but giving up on a 22-year-old freak athlete in Kuminga for all three of those role players would surely backfire on the front office in Golden State.
Suns need to give up two different players in order to land Kuminga.
Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine recently took to their podcast on Yahoo! Sports to talk about the Kuminga saga - which has rolled on for much of the offseason - and it wasn't long before the Suns were mentioned. In order to get a deal done though, they believe that Phoenix has to be willing to part with Dillon Brooks, Oso Ighodaro and what little draft capital they have left.
Already we've put forward the idea that second year forward/center Ighodaro would be a dream trade target for the Boston Celtics, but the same can also be true of the Warriors. He's obviously not on the level of Kuminga - but if Golden State is looking for a young guy with upside who isn't going to rock the boat and could fill out their rotation - then Ighodaro makes a lot of sense.
Brooks is the interesting piece here however, because he looks like the spiritual successor to Draymond Green in San Francisco. This is the same reason the Suns should hold onto him - he's going to improve a defense that gave up 117.7 points last season on his own - but the Suns also aren't trying to win right now.
Much as it would hurt, Kuminga is the longer-term project that is more in line with the re-tooling of the roster around Devin Booker. For those who say you need veterans even on a rebuilding team to guide the younger players, you are absolutely correct. But that's what Nigel Hayes-Davis is for, whereas Brooks could actually bring back something of value in a player with a ton of upside.
If you're the Warriors you finally get out of this Kuminga situation - and you don't have to pay him his next contract - while also landing a win-now player in Brooks. Ighodaro is the prospect they take a chance on, while a heap of second round picks is at least some form of compensation for the future. Sounds a lot more appealing than Allen or O'Neale anyway.