Had it not been for the OKC Thunder, the Golden State Warriors very likely could have avoided their ongoing contract standoff with former first-round pick, Jonathan Kuminga.
At least, that's what Jake Fischer seemed to be suggesting in his August 10 newsletter.
According to the NBA insider, the Warriors had their sights set on selecting Josh Giddey with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, though ultimately wound up pivoting to Kuminga at the last second after Sam Presti and company scooped up the Australian floor general right before them at sixth overall.
Ironically, both lottery talents currently find themselves amid stalemate contract talks in restricted free agency.
Fortunately for the Thunder, they moved on from Giddey last summer via the deal that landed them Alex Caruso from the Bulls.
Not only did this see them add an experienced veteran and masterfully avoid these tough financial negotiations themselves, but, thanks to their draft day decision-making four years ago, Oklahoma City forced the Warriors into such talks with a player in Kuminga they didn't even necessarily want in the first place.
Thunder hilariously to blame for Warriors-Jonathan Kuminga standoff
It's been an up-and-down four seasons in the Bay Area for Kuminga, as the forward has struggled to establish himself as a reliable two-way player within the club's rotation.
Whether it's his wonky long-range shooting game (a career 33.2 percent shooter from deep) or his rumored lack of willingness to adapt to team needs, the latter of which has reportedly been the root of coach Steve Kerr's frustrations with his game, the forward has failed to grow into the type of talent that players selected where he was are generally expected to.
Now, with championship aspirations still in full swing for the Warriors, the team appears less than convinced that Kuminga can develop into the type of contributor they had hoped he would.
With this, it should come as little surprise that Golden State felt the need to take a swing on a trade for an All-Star who plays the same position in Jimmy Butler while cutting back on the 22-year-old's playing time last season.
Interestingly enough, according to Fischer, the Warriors are actually interested in the idea of now doing a sign-and-trade that would involve Kuminga heading to Chicago and Giddey finally being brought out to San Francisco in the deal.
Regardless of whether such a trade winds up transpiring or not, it's hilarious to think that, had the Thunder not doubled up with backcourt talents and selected Giddey in 2021, Golden State could have avoided both the RFA headaches and hypothetical hurdles that would come with the proposed exchange involving Kuminga altogether.
There's an actual argument to be made that OKC is to blame for all the madness happening with the Warriors-Kuminga saga.