The Warriors aren’t budging on Kuminga trade offers from Suns, Kings
Golden State has “zero interest” in what the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are offering for Jonathan Kuminga, putting the restricted free agent’s future in limbo.
The Suns have put a four-year, $90 million contract on the table as part of a sign-and-trade proposal, but the Warriors aren’t impressed with the return package Phoenix is offering.
Sacramento’s approach isn’t faring any better. The Kings offered Kuminga a three-year deal worth $63 million and were willing to send veteran guard Malik Monk plus a lottery-protected 2030 first-round pick to Golden State.
That’s not enough for the Warriors, who want that pick completely unprotected.
The standoff has created a stalemate that shows no signs of breaking soon.
Kuminga hasn’t signed anything yet because he wants guaranteed playing time next season. Both Sacramento and Phoenix are reportedly ready to give him that opportunity, with “significant minutes and a starting-caliber role” on the table.
Warriors ready to end trade talks altogether
Kuminga keeps turning down Golden State’s offer of $45 million over two years.
Why? The deal includes a team option for the second season, and the Warriors won’t let him have a no-trade clause.
Those no-trade clauses are pretty rare in the NBA. Right now, only LeBron James and Damian Lillard have them. Bradley Beal had one too, but it disappeared when the Suns bought out his contract.
With the Warriors unimpressed by trade offers and Kuminga holding out for better terms, Golden State is now “signaling a plan to cut off sign-and-trade conversations entirely,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater.
The team already extended a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer to Kuminga, so they don’t have to trade him unless he forces their hand by refusing to sign anything.
What happens next?
The Warriors could still trade Kuminga during the upcoming season, especially since reports suggest they “don’t want” him on the roster anyway.
“The Warriors don’t want Kuminga, and Kuminga doesn’t want to be in The Bay,” The Athletic’s Eric Koreen wrote Thursday. “Yet, the Warriors weren’t willing to forgo extending him a qualifying offer.”
Golden State’s qualifying offer was more about maintaining control under restricted free agency rules than actually keeping him around.
If no deal materializes, Kuminga could enter unrestricted free agency next summer and pursue a bigger contract elsewhere.
The 22-year-old forward, picked 7th overall in the 2021 draft, averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game last season. He appeared in 47 games, starting just 10 of them.
