It appears the Warriors don’t want to lock up Jonathan Kuminga long-term, but they also don’t want him to potentially go elsewhere and thrive with another NBA team.
Especially, it seems, the NBA team 80 miles northeast in Sacramento.
As The Athletic’s Sam Amick shared on a recent appearance on Sactown Sports 1140’s “The Carmichael Dave Show,” a small factor that has kept Golden State hesitant to send Kuminga to the Kings partly is due to the fear of the 22-year-old breaking out in California’s state capital.
“Joe Lacob is eternally in love with Jonathan Kuminga,” Amick said Wednesday. “There is a sense from some people involved that there’s a real reluctance not only to finally quit him if you will, but to see him go up the road to another Northern California NBA team that’s run by a guy in Vivek Ranadivé, who used to be with the Warriors. And what if Kuminga blows up and becomes a total star?
“From a personal ownership dynamic level, there are some folks that feel like that could be playing a small part. Again, that’s not really relevant, because these other things are the real obstacles. But I mean, Joe — like a lot of owners — is very involved, too.”
As Amick emphasized, this only is a small factor among the overarching deterrants keeping Kuminga out of Sacramento.
The Kings offered veteran guard Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick to Golden State in exchange for the young forward, per multiple reports, but the Warriors don’t want any protections attached to the future draft pick, something Sacramento has been unwilling to offer at this point.
Plus, as Amick reported in a recent column, there are other financial obstacles in the way as Monk’s current contract runs through the 2027-28 season, when he has a player option worth $21.5 million. But the Warriors are adamant about having as much financial flexibility entering that 2027 summer, as they could chase big-name superstars such as Nikola Jokić or Giannis Antetokounmpo, who both have player options for the 2027-28 season.
Kuminga, in four seasons with the Warriors since being selected No. 7 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, has averaged 12.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting, with 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.0 minutes through 258 career games (84 starts).
He has been in and out of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, and after registering multiple DNP-CDs to end the 2024-25 regular season and into the postseason, Kuminga has been firm about wanting a consistent, solidified role with a team, something Golden State has yet to make feasible, especially after the late-season acquisition of six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler.
The Phoenix Suns are the other team to have shown strong interest in Kuminga via a sign-and-trade deal, and while that still would be shipping their former first-round pick to a Western Conference rival, it would seem to be a lot less painful than watching him shine in Sacramento.
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