After agreeing to a buyout with three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns have set their eyes on a rising wing.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Suns have registered their interest in Golden State Warriors‘ 22-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga, a restricted free agent.
“Sources say Phoenix, meanwhile, is the latest team to express exploratory interest in a Kuminga sign-and-trade … challenging as it would be for the Suns to make such a deal happen,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on July 17.
The Suns have reached out to both Kuminga’s representation and the Warriors “to make their fondness for the bouncy swingman known,” according to Fischer.
However, no deal is imminent as the Suns face major challenges in a potential sign-and-trade for the Warriors’ former No. 7 pick.
“The Suns, to be clear, do not appear to possess the sort of draft capital or players that Golden State is believed to be seeking in exchange for Kuminga,” Fischer wrote.
But Fischer noted that the Suns’ interest in Kuminga dates back to their trade conversations for Kevin Durant in February.
What Warriors Want That Suns Don’t Have
The Warriors are looking for value in exchange for Kuminga.
They made that clear when they rejected a trade offer from the Sacramento Kings, which Anthony Slater, previously of The Athletic, reported on July 3 before his move to ESPN.
“They’ve drawn inbound calls in recent days, most notably from the Sacramento Kings, who floated an offer of Devin Carter, Dario Šarić and two second-round picks, league sources said. The Warriors have so far balked at what they felt was a buy-low attempt, league sources said,” Slater wrote.
Slater added that the Warriors are looking for “a promising young player, plus a first-round pick” in a sign-and-trade scenario for the 22-year-old athletic forward.
The Suns do not have either — they do not control their first-round picks until 2031 — unless they can manufacture a first-round pick and get another team involved that has a young player or players, which could interest the Warriors.
The Complicated Sign-and-Trade Path
Getty Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors defends against Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.
Another thing that complicates a pathway for the Suns to acquire Kuminga is a quirk in the Collective Bargaining Agreement rules.
In a sign-and-trade scenario, only 50% of his outgoing salary is accounted for matching purposes. But his full salary counts as the incoming salary for whichever team acquires him.
For example, if Kuminga signs for $30 million annual average salary, the Warriors can only trade him for a player or players worth just $15 million. The Suns, on the other hand, will absorb the full $30 million in their books, which will put them back above the luxury tax threshold.
While it’s not impossible, it is not a straightforward path.
Bradley Beal Leaves for Clippers
Beal decided to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, after giving up $13.8 million to complete the buyout with the Suns.
Thus, Beal’s tumultuous two-year run in Phoenix ended with the Suns getting out of the luxury tax but will have to incur $20 million of dead money in each of the next five seasons for the salary they owe to the former All-Star guard.
“The crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball situation first and foremost once he was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested suitors around the NBA, and Bartelstein led an exhaustive process over the last few weeks,” Charania wrote on X.
Beal’s departure ushers in a new era in Phoenix with the Devin Booker–Jalen Green pairing.
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