With a 9-2 record, the Golden State Warriors are comfortably the second-best team in the Western Conference, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who they beat earlier this season. They are playing vintage Warriors’ basketball, and are fourth in 3-point percentage, third in attempts, third in points per game, and third in offensive rating.

The Warriors also have a top-five defense, but they have fully embraced scoring, scoring, and scoring this season. A recently proposed mock trade would give them even more firepower.

The Sporting News’ Colin Keane recently proposed a deal that would send Jonathan Kuminga and an unprotected first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin.

Swapping out Kuminga, who is averaging 14.7 points on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 35.1 percent for deep for the slightly younger Mathurin, who is posting 19.7 points on much better shooting, as an easy deal for the Warriors to make. If the Pacers were to accept such a trade, Golden State would send Kuminga away in an instant.

Why would the Pacers give up their best young player for Kuminga? It’s simple economics.

“Unless the Pacers feel that they are contenders right now (they are not), it would behoove them to keep building for a time when the Boston Celtics look more vulnerable — perhaps three years from now as Tyrese Haliburton enters his prime,” wrote Keane. “While the 22-year-old Mathurin could very well factor into that future for Indiana, he’ll be owed a huge payday in the summer of 2026. With Haliburton getting max money until 2029, the Pacers might be wise not to dole out a huge sum to another guard during that span (for the sake of roster balance).”

Indiana has Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith already under contract, who could step up in the absence of Mathurin. The Pacers, having lost Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman for the season, could use some size, and Kuminga’s rebounding could help them out where they desperately need it.