“I have to read what we need. I have to read who’s playing well together, and to be very frank, the Jimmy (Butler), JK (Kuminga) combination has not been great and that’s the tricky part here,” said Steve Kerr back in April 2025. There is no denying that Jimmy Butler’s acquisition by the Warriors back in February greatly helped the team return to playoff contention. Unfortunately, it reduced the need for Jonathan Kuminga within the franchise.

After his return from a 31-game absence (due to an ankle injury), Kuminga saw a reduction in his minutes. He was scarcely used in Golden State’s closing lineups, and made limited appearances in the Warriors’ recent playoff run. So if anyone from the Bay Area franchise is surely set to be traded, it is him. While Warriors fans know this, they are surely not impressed with who the team might be getting in exchange.

Ball Report recently put out a new trade proposal. According to it, Jonathan Kuminga could be sent to the Miami Heat as part of a sign-and-trade deal that would pay him $110 million over 4 years. The proposal includes two options, which would see Kuminga being traded as part of either a ‘Clean Asset Return’ deal or a ‘More Salary, Future Pick’ deal.

Through the first option, the Warriors would receive Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jović. The other one gives them Haywood Highsmith, Kevin Love, and a 2026 1st-round pick (Top-10 protected). Kevin Love’s name entering the trade cycle is certainly a surprise. No other reports have highlighted the Miami Heat considering trading the 36-year-old. More than that, however, Kevin Love joining the Golden State Warriors would be equivalent to when Luís Figo joined Real Madrid C.F.

After all, Love was once a part of the same Cleveland Cavaliers franchise that went head-to-head against the Golden State Warriors in 4 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry that ran from 2015-18 is considered one of the most intense in modern NBA history. Though Love hasn’t been associated with Cleveland since 2023, his legacy as a major contributor to the team during those years won’t be forgotten for a long time to come.

It is not as if NBA players have not gone on to do well for teams against whom they previously shared an intense rivalry. Dennis Rodman, who famously was a member of the ‘Bad Boys’ version of the Detroit Pistons, also won 3 of his championships with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. So Kevin Love joining the Warriors after the team trades Jonathan Kuminga could be a good thing.

Be that as it may, however, the overall proposal has seemingly failed to impress fans.

NBA Fans Disagree with Kevin Love and Other Acquisitions Part of a Jonathan Kuminga Trade: “give me Wiggins back”

One social media user saw the trade proposal and wrote, “No thx just give me Wiggins back”.

Andrew Wiggins was traded to the Miami Heat earlier this year as part of the same trade deal that brought in Jimmy Butler. Though the player has left, it wasn’t that easy to forget the legacy he created with the Bay Area franchise. Wiggins’ contributions were instrumental in securing the 2022 NBA championship. The player himself thrived within the team and went on to average 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists throughout his 307-game tenure in Golden State.

More than that, as NBC Sports highlighted, the small forward/shooting guard had become a fan-favorite wing. Therefore, there are still people out there who would like to see Wiggins return to the Bay Area. One individual continued the trend and wrote, “Can the Warriors not get Wiggins back in a trade?”

The 30-year-old’s exit left an emotional impact on not just the Warriors squad, but apparently their family members too. During an episode of his long-running show, Draymond Green recalled that “My kids cried when they found out Wiggs was gone because his kids and my kids have a great relationship. They cried when they found out. And I told Wiggs, because I saw him right after the deadline and All-Star break, ‘Man, my kids were crying when they found out your girls were gone.’”

Well, Green’s kids would certainly love to have their old friends back in the Bay Area now, wouldn’t they?

One social media user wrote, “That’s an obvious rage bate 😅”. Well, we have surely seen stranger trades being carried out. Luka Doncic, anyone?

One individual wrote, “Even as a Heat fan I wouldn’t do this”.

Well, the fan may have his wish granted, as according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, “Miami has prioritized pursuits of Giannis Antetokounmpo (if he became available this summer) and [Kevin] Durant (whom they’re actively trying to acquire) on their wish list ahead of Kuminga, who’s viewed as a fallback option to the two superstars”.

Kuminga can certainly help cover the gap on the offensive front left by Jimmy Butler’s exit. However, the Warriors will need something better than the highlighted options. Of course, acquiring Kevin Love would make for an interesting storyline. At the same time, he was the 4th Center in the Heat’s recent season run, and averaged only 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 23 games during the recent season.

One social media user wrote, “Let’s throw both of these away and never bring them up again 👍🏾”.

Yikes! Then again, all this is speculation. The Heat still has lots of time to come up with a better deal.

Overall, the majority of reactions saw fans being united in disagreeing with this trade proposal. Therefore, there is a good chance Kevin Love might not get to play alongside his once-biggest rivals. Then again, NBA trades are known for often being unpredictable. Till the commencement of the next season, anything can happen.