Jerry West was one of the most cutthroat executives in NBA history, cut from the Bill Walsh mold. If there was someone who loved severing sentimental ties to improve the quality of a roster, it was West. He would have been chomping at the bit to move on from Thompson and would have done summersaults at swapping Wiggins for Jimmy Butler III.

“Kuminga is not budging and continues to passively let it be known he does not wish to return to the Warriors. If he is to be back with Golden State, nobody expects it to be a long-term marriage, and Kuminga will make sure it's on his terms,” Siegel wrote.

When the Golden State Warriors used the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to select Jonathan Kuminga, the organization's two-timeline approach appeared alive and well.