Jonathan Kuminga has once again become a prominent name among trade rumors after seemingly falling out of the Golden State Warriors’ rotation recently. While the Warriors had previously claimed that they wanted to rehabilitate Kuminga back onto the roster, it seems that Steve Kerr has decided that he might no longer be the best option, even when he’s coming off the bench.
Therefore, the Warriors are now rumored to be gauging the trade market for Jonathan Kuminga once again, and the Sacramento Kings are reportedly still interested in landing the 23-year-old forward in a trade deal.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Marc J. Spears, Kuminga is reportedly visibly unhappy with the team, but is maintaining his professional integrity to the best of his abilities.
“Free JK, free JK, you can see it in his eyes, he’s just trying to be professional,” said Spears on ESPN’s NBA Today. “It’s still seven weeks away before he’s eligible to be traded. And it just started off so well, he averaged 15 points and seven rebounds in the first 12 games.”
“Then he got hurt, just like last season when he came back from injury, just doesn’t mesh well with the Warriors. Honestly, it’s going to be a couple of weeks before he’s ultimately traded, but I know the Sacramento Kings are still interested,” declared Spears.
“They threw Monk at it and a first [round pick], but I don’t think that first will be available anymore. But now if Kuminga’s at a number like $24 million, where perhaps they could get a better player, or will probably have to involve a bigger-name player than before because of that number, and that will help the Warriors out.”
The key difference now is that the Kings’ 2030 first-round pick will no longer be on the table, considering that the Kings are reportedly looking to initiate their own rebuild. An optimistic aspect of this situation for the Warriors would be that the Kings would have to potentially include a player with a bigger name, like DeMar DeRozan ($25.7 million in 2026-27, final year in contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent).
There is a higher chance they will involve a third team in the negotiations to match the salaries, considering that the Warriors will likely not be interested in a direct trade for DeRozan. They would also want some draft capital in this trade as they are giving away a promising young player for a veteran talent nearing the end of his career.
But the Warriors will have to potentially include a veteran contract in that potential scenario, like De’Anthony Melton, to avoid going into the second apron. There’s also an alternative scenario where the Golden State could offer more to land Domantas Sabonis in a trade, potentially.
It is hard to pinpoint where things went wrong for Kuminga in his rehabilitation process. It could be from the moment he lost his starter role, or when there was reported tension in the Warriors’ locker room due to a lack of effort from role players.
Kuminga, along with Brandin Podziemski, came under the scrutiny of public criticism following some comments from the veterans like Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. While the future of the Warriors’ young stars remains in question, it is important to note that Steve Kerr often uses radical coaching strategies to indirectly motivate his players to improve.
The answers to all of the Warriors’ questions about their future depend on how Jonathan Kuminga bounces back from this decision. Teams are clearly interested in getting him, but the Warriors seem hellbent on getting significant value in return for him or putting him to the right use. It will be interesting to see how this stalemate potentially ends.
