The ongoing stalemate between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors threatens to dampen the Bay Area franchise’s 2025-26 campaign. If the impasse endures into training camp, and Kuminga accepts his one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer, the Warriors would no longer be able to find him a new home and risk losing him for nothing as a free agent in 2026.
To avoid all the drama, Sports Illustrated’s Mark Morales-Smith proposed a three-team trade that would see Golden State acquire rising star Cam Thomas, another restricted free agent embroiled in a contract dispute with the Brooklyn Nets.
Warriors would receive: Cam Thomas (sign-and-trade)
Nets would receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Nikola Vucevic, 1st Round Pick (via Bulls)
Bulls would receive: Nic Claxton, 1st Round Pick (via Bulls), 2nd Round Pick
Thomas Can Shoot, Unlike Kuminga
On paper, it’s a reasonable argument that the Warriors would be swapping one problem for another — as Thomas, just like Kuminga, has little trade value despite his upside. However, unlike Kuminga, Thomas is a marksman from deep, who made 2.7 threes per game last season, a year after draining 2.2 threes per game for the Nets.
As such, Kuminga could prove to be a better basketball fit in Golden State, where the offense runs through Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
“The Warriors need to move off of Kuminga, and Thomas is an outstanding young replacement. He’s coming off a sophomore NBA season in which he averaged 24 points per game. It’s unlikely they’d get a better player back than Thomas for moving Kuminga,” argued Morales-Smith.
“Thomas would likely see his numbers decline as the third option on offense in Golden State. Curry and Butler are going to dominate the offense. However, it could make him a better long-term option for dynasty owners getting out of Brooklyn and into Steve Kerr’s system.”
Thomas Could be Sparkplug off the Bench
Thomas has developed the notorious reputation of an empty-calorie scorer during his four-year stint with the Nets, and for good reason. In his previous two seasons, Thomas averaged north of 22 points per game, but his scoring outbursts didn’t help the Nets gain relevancy or wins in the Eastern Conference.
However, in Golden State, he’d no longer be required to carry the scoring load for a lottery-bound team, and would instead play behind veteran stars such as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III. As such, Thomas could be a sparkplug off the bench, in the same vein as Jordan Poole during Golden State’s 2022 title win.
As for the Nets, they can ride out Vucevic’s expiring contract while adding Kuminga to their burgeoning young core.
“Kuminga is a talented young forward that the Nets can build around,” wrote Morales-Smith. “The hope would be that if he gets away from Steph Curry and Butler, he can excel as a top offensive option and develop into a star. He is viewed as a high-upside talent who could develop into a superstar.”
Most of all, Kuminga will finally get a chance to spread his wings in Brooklyn, after being relegated to the role of a fourth, sometimes fifth option in Golden State.
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