The Warriors top trade asset may be playing his way off team

With trade season heating up, the Golden State Warriors have already made a big move, bringing in guard Dennis Schroeder from the Brooklyn Nets. Nevertheless, they could make another big deal to try and bolster their roster ahead of a playoff push.

Unlike most teams in their position, they have plenty of assets to trade, including expiring contracts, young prospects with upside, and, of course, first-round picks. They could opt to use a combination of all three to make a splashy deal to surround Steph Curry with another star.

One of those assets is Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga is playing his best stretch of basketball this season, including recently posting back-to-back 34-point games off the bench. Nevertheless, he seems like a prime candidate to be traded given that the Warriors and he failed to agree on a rookie max extension.

With no contract in place beyond this season, he could enter restricted free agency, and the Warriors may be vulnerable to a team with cap space offering a massive contract that they can't afford to match. With that looming threat, Golden State may opt to trade him in a larger deal to try and bring back a win-now player.

Jonathan Kuminga may be playing his way off the Golden State Warriors.

Kuminga raising his trade value with his recent play could help to facilitate a trade to get the Warriors back into title contention. The Warriors have been linked to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, but he may not be traded if Pat Riley is to be believed. That limits their options in the trade market, with only New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram and Chicago Bulls stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic being obvious trade targets.

The Warriors could use more size, and Vucevic is having a terrific season, making him an attractive option as an offensive-minded big man. LaVine is too, and his shooting ability would fit in with the Warriors. However, they would have to trade players such as Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, and possibly Kuminga to be able to make that happen.

It isn't clear whether that would make that better, and Golden State may instead try for less high-profile trade targets such as Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson or maybe look to the Atlanta Hawks, who would have several players potentially available. With trade season beginning to kick into high gear, the Warriors are sure to keep their options open, and Kuminga's recent play possibly gives them a nice trade chip.