Following a heavy dose of Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors and the Bucks’ decision to waive Damian Lillard, several analysts were baffled at the Bucks’ lack of activity in the free agency market. But now, they are reportedly interested in pairing Antetokounmpo in their frontcourt with the Warriors’ disgruntled starlet Jonathan Kuminga.
According to Evan Sidery of Forbes, the Warriors have no interest in getting Kyle Kuzma in return for Kuminga and have instead made their demands clear.
“The Bucks have explored sign-and-trade scenarios to obtain Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors show little interest in Kyle Kuzma, so it would take attaching their 2031 1st plus a prospect to gain any significant traction. In the meantime, Kuminga’s market appears in a standstill.”
If Kuminga were an unrestricted free agent, the Bucks could make him an enticing offer now that they have decided to stretch Lillard’s waived contract. But his rookie contract with the Warriors makes him only a restricted free agent this summer. The Warriors extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer to Kuminga, but he is free to approach other teams while the Warriors have the right to match their offer.
Sources have claimed that the Warriors are willing to sign and trade with any team that is willing to offer them significant returns for Kuminga. But they have reportedly gauged the market and gotten little to no interest in him, except the Kings and now, the Bucks.
Analyzing Jonathan Kuminga’s Fit With The Bucks
The Bucks seem to want to pair Kuminga’s athleticism and versatility in scoring with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s endless threat in the paint, who would, in a way, be a more skilled replacement for Khris Middleton from their championship-winning roster in 2021.
In their current roster, he would directly replace Kuzma in the starting lineup. Kuzma will move to the bench if he doesn’t get traded to the Warriors or moved elsewhere to make room for Kuminga, especially considering that the Bucks also signed Myles Turner this summer, who will be the starting center on the team. In contrast, Antetokounmpo moves to his original power forward position.
The Warriors have indicated that they have no interest in a 29-year-old Kuzma. Considering that Kuminga expects to earn $30 million+ per year in his next contract extension, it would be almost impossible for the Bucks to figure out a way to match his demands without including Kuzma’s $22 million salary in the trade package. Hence, it is highly unlikely that a trade between these two teams will go through.
But if the Bucks manage to add significant assets or figure out a way to involve multiple teams in a trade where a young prospect heads to the Warriors while Kuzma joins that team, only then can the Bucks potentially think of landing Kuminga.
Jonathan Kuminga lost his place in the Warriors’ starting lineup ever since they traded for Jimmy Butler. In the 47 games he played this regular season, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
Following the comments from Steve Kerr that indicate Kuminga is not a winning player, it will be interesting to see if he reduces his demands just to take an offer elsewhere that is beyond what the Warriors are willing to match for him. Several analysts believe Kuminga may have played his last game as a Warriors player.
Do you think he will return to play for a team that doesn’t really want him in the role that he sees himself playing on the team? Or will he reduce his contract demands and find a way to force his way out of the Warriors? Many unanswered questions lie ahead in Kuminga’s future.
