Spurs better hope latest Warriors trade rumor doesn't come true

The San Antonio Spurs are in a great spot. They don’t have to make any moves at this year’s trade deadline. They could, but they don’t have to. The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, have some tough Jonathan Kuminga decisions to make. And one, in particular, could have an impact on the long-term future of the Spurs.

San Antonio currently owns a 2031 pick swap with the Sacramento Kings. They got it in the three-team deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to the Kings and brought Harrison Barnes to the Spurs. Because of that, the Spurs should want the Kings to procrastinate their inevitable tank for as long as possible.

However, recent rumors have indicated that the Kings are one of the teams interested in trading for Kuminga. And if they do that, the likelihood that they embrace a tank skyrockets. San Antonio shouldn’t want that.

Spurs shouldn't want Kings to trade for Kuminga because it would get the rebuild started sooner

Right now, the Kings are one of the worst teams in the league, and they don’t have a very bright future. They have an aging core and no real way to hit the reset button.

But trading for Kuminga would at least provide a small light at the end of the tunnel, as they would have a young player to hitch their wagon to in a potential rebuild.

He may not be a superstar, but the Kings certainly think he can be that. Or at least, somewhere close. And if they believe in him, they may want to reset their roster around him. 

As things stand, the Kings’ core is DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis. All fairly talented players in their own right, but not a great fit when put together on a team without much reliable depth.

And to make matters worse, all of their contracts (and/or play styles) are definitely not screaming “come trade for me and give up valuable assets!”

In fact, at this point in their respective careers, the Kings would probably be lucky to get positive value for any of those three guys. And that’s great for the Spurs, because the longer they stick with their current core, which clearly doesn’t work well together, the longer they’ll be bad.

And the longer the Kings are bad, the better chance they’ll have at capitalizing on the 2031 pick swap.

The Kings being bad is good for the Spurs. Simple as that.

If they trade for Kuminga, a rebuild could be imminent, and they may have a greater chance at being competitive by 2031. That’s not what the Spurs want.