Jonathan Kuminga's struggles vs. Raptors give Toronto leverage in Pascal Siakam talks

The Toronto Raptors completely beat the brakes off of the Golden State Warriors with a dominant 133-118 victory. It was a bit of a marquee matchup, given reports of the Warriors' interest in trading for Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam.

Third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga has been a name discussed at the center of a Siakam-GSW deal, as he is clearly starting to hit a developmental wall in Golden State. However, his less-than-impressive outing against the Raptors gives Masai Ujiri a fair amount of leverage in potential trade talks.

Siakam took a bit of a step back in terms of leading the offense, given RJ Barrett's stellar performance of 37 points in 36 minutes of run. Nonetheless, Pascal still had a solid game, posting 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. On the other hand, Kuminga had 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

Not the worst stats, sure, but when you consider Kuminga's 20% 3-point shooting, the fact he got run off the floor in the first half, and his starting the second half on the bench, it paints a better picture of his lack of impact in the Raptors matchup.

Jonathan Kuminga's mediocre performance won't dazzle the Toronto Raptors enough to justify a Warriors trade

The opportunity was there for Kuminga to show out and prove he's untouchable as a Warriors asset. Needless to say, Kuminga failed to accomplish this goal. It wasn't an absolute stinker per se, but it didn't add much to his case in his current role with the Warriors, nor was it the potential star-studded preview to entice Masai Ujiri and company.

Now, it only gives Masai the freedom to ask for more from Golden State, if their interest in Siakam strengthens following their matchup.

Simply offering a deal involving Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins to fill salary perhaps is not much of a needle mover for Toronto. The Toronto native Wiggins had an atrocious showing against the Raptors, playing only 16 minutes and posting an abysmal three points with a -29 plus/minus.

All while the Raptors saw their two Canadians, Barrett and Chris Boucher, combine for 54 of Toronto's total points. Following this game, a Siakam trade to Golden State would likely need one of either Brandin Podziemski or Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and serious draft compensation.

Whatever a hypothetical trade will end up looking like, the Raptors convincingly winning their Warriors matchup means Kuminga has probably lost a bit of value on his own. It's going to take a bit more on the Warriors' end to land the Raptors' All-Star, and it's certainly to Masai Ujiri's delight.