The Cavaliers may be lining up a move that would hit the Warriors from two directions at once.
With Golden State looking less and less likely to land LeBron James, Cleveland has started to look like the more realistic destination. That fits the obvious family history with the franchise, but there’s another wrinkle here: the Cavaliers also appear to have interest in Jonathan Kuminga, the former Warrior who spent last season with the Atlanta Hawks.
That pairing would be a strange one to see in Cleveland, but it’s not hard to understand why the Cavaliers would consider it. Kuminga showed he can help, but he also showed he’s not the kind of player a team is going to build an offense around. In Golden State, he was used as a useful role player who could pop for a big night, not as a centerpiece.
Cleveland’s need is clear after Donovan Mitchell signed a huge contract extension on Tuesday. The Cavaliers now have to keep putting enough talent around him to stay in the mix for another playoff run in the Eastern Conference. Bringing in James and Kuminga would go a long way toward that.
James still brings elite production when he’s healthy and on the floor, and he could fit into whatever role Cleveland wants for him. At this stage, he may be more comfortable supporting the group around him than carrying everything himself.
Kuminga would give the Cavaliers another useful piece off the bench, someone who can score and also step into the starting lineup when James is resting, if there’s an injury, or when other players need a breather.
For James, a return to Cleveland for a third stint looks more appealing than a move to Golden State. He’d obviously enjoy teaming up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but beyond that, the fit doesn’t seem nearly as enticing.
Even if James helped push the Warriors from perennial Play-In status to a real shot at the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, he’d still be landing in a place that looks a lot like the one he just left with the Los Angeles Lakers.
And if Cleveland did land both James and Kuminga, that would be a brutal outcome for Golden State. Losing out on James would sting on its own. Watching Kuminga end up alongside him would only twist the knife a little deeper and bring that whole long saga back into focus.
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