NBA trade proposal sends Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen to Bucks, Jonathan Kuminga to Cavs

NBA trade season always produces two kinds of ideas:

The fun ones … and the ones that feel like a graduate-level CBA exam.

This one firmly lands in the second category.

NBA writer Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report recently floated a purely hypothetical, multi-team blockbuster that reshuffles major pieces across five franchises, headlined by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Jonathan Kuminga, and Myles Turner all changing addresses.

Here’s how Pincus mapped it out:

Bucks receive

• Darius Garland (from Cavaliers)
• Jarrett Allen (from Cavaliers)
• Thomas Bryant (from Cavaliers)
• Terance Mann (from Nets)
• $2.3 million trade exception (Cole Anthony)
• $2.3 million trade exception (Amir Coffey)

Cavaliers receive

• Jonathan Kuminga (from Warriors)
• Bobby Portis (from Bucks)
• 2027 protected first-round pick (from Warriors)
• 2031 protected first-round pick (from Bucks)
• $14.5 million trade exception (Garland)
• $6.6 million trade exception (Allen)
• $2.3 million trade exception (Bryant)

Warriors receive

• Myles Turner (from Bucks)
• Day’Ron Sharpe (from Nets)
• $2.2 million trade exception (Trayce Jackson-Davis)

Pacers receive

• Trayce Jackson-Davis (from Warriors)

Nets receive

• Kyle Kuzma (from Bucks)
• Cole Anthony (from Bucks)
• Amir Coffey (from Bucks)
• Al Horford (from Warriors)
• Buddy Hield (from Warriors)
• 2027 Jazz second-round pick (from Pacers)
• 2028 Cavaliers second-round pick
• 2030 conditional Warriors second-round pick
• $5 million (from Warriors)
• $3 million (from Cavaliers)
• $6.3 million trade exception (Day’Ron Sharpe)

Why Milwaukee Would Entertain It

From the Bucks’ perspective, the motivation is clear. This is an aggressive, no-doubt-about-it push to maximize the Giannis Antetokounmpo window.

Garland gives Milwaukee a true lead guard with shot creation and playmaking, while Allen provides a younger, mobile defensive anchor in the middle.

It’s a dramatic reshaping of the roster, but one that leans heavily into talent consolidation around Giannis rather than incremental tinkering.

The cost is real. Two starters and future flexibility go out the door. But if the goal is to avoid wasting another prime season, this is the type of swing that changes the team’s ceiling immediately.

Why Cleveland Is the Wild Card

Cleveland is where this proposal gets interesting.

The Cavaliers would be effectively breaking up the Garland-Allen core in favor of a younger, more malleable forward in Kuminga, plus Portis’ edge, shooting, and playoff toughness.

Add in two future first-rounders and multiple trade exceptions, and this becomes less about one-for-one value and more about optionality.

Kuminga’s contract situation plays into this. He’s earning $22.5 million this season and signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a team option designed to be reworked next summer. That gives Cleveland a potential long-term piece or a highly movable asset, depending on how things unfold.

In short, this is a reset-without-tanking approach. Whether Cleveland would actually take that leap is another matter entirely.

Why Golden State Does It

Golden State’s logic is straightforward. The Warriors are widely expected to explore trading Kuminga once his restriction lifts after January 14, and Turner fits their needs far more cleanly.

Turner gives them rim protection, spacing, and playoff-tested reliability. At $25.3 million, his contract slots neatly into contention-focused roster building. Sharpe adds depth, and the trade exception preserves future flexibility.

This is a classic “fit over upside” move for a team still trying to squeeze value out of its remaining window.

The Reality Check

On paper, the math works. Pincus’ proposal is legal under the CBA. Salaries align. Every team can point to a rationale.

In practice? Trades involving five teams, multiple starters, several draft picks, cash considerations, and a parade of trade exceptions almost never happen.

That doesn’t make the idea useless. It highlights where pressure points exist. Milwaukee’s urgency. Cleveland’s uncertainty. Golden State’s looming Kuminga decision.

As a thought exercise, it’s fascinating.

But as an actual blueprint, it remains exactly that: Hypothetical.