Phoenix Suns Eyeing Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga After Beal Buyout
The Phoenix Suns are making moves. Fresh off reaching a contract buyout with Bradley Beal, they’ve set their sights on Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reports the Suns are “the latest team to express exploratory interest in a Kuminga sign-and-trade.” They’re not alone – the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls have also been sniffing around the talented 6-foot-8 wing.
Golden State isn’t letting Kuminga go easily. They extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer to the 22-year-old last month, giving them the right to match any offer he receives in restricted free agency.
What would it take to pry Kuminga away from the Warriors?
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Golden State wants a “promising young player plus a first-round pick” in any sign-and-trade deal.
That’s where things get tricky for Phoenix. Fischer notes the Suns “do not appear to possess the sort of draft capital or players that Golden State is believed to be seeking” in exchange for Kuminga.
This isn’t the first time Phoenix has shown interest in the athletic forward. Their pursuit reportedly dates back to last season, when Kuminga “certainly did come up in trade talks between the teams” near the February trade deadline. At that time, the Warriors were exploring bringing Kevin Durant back to the Bay Area.
Those plans fizzled out. Durant stayed put (temporarily), and Golden State pivoted to acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat instead.
After Phoenix eventually traded Durant to Houston, the Suns “contacted both Kuminga’s representation and the Warriors to make their fondness for the bouncy swingman known,” Fischer reports.
It’s easy to see why teams are interested in Kuminga. The former No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals last season while shooting 45.4% from the field in 47 games (10 starts).
Beal Heads to Los Angeles
Meanwhile, the Suns finalized their breakup with Beal on Wednesday. They’re using the waive-and-stretch provision to spread the $99 million they still owe him over the next five years at $20 million per season.
Beal isn’t staying on the market long. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the three-time All-Star plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers.
The deal is pretty savvy for the 32-year-old. His player option for 2026-27 lets him potentially hit free agency again next summer as one of the top available players. He also sheds the no-trade clause from his previous contract.
Beal is expected to step right into the Clippers’ starting lineup at shooting guard, filling the void left when they traded Norman Powell to Miami.
Over his 13 NBA seasons, Beal has averaged 21.5 points, 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and has shot 37.6% from beyond the arc.
