The Sacramento Kings have circled Jonathan Kuminga before. This offseason, they probed ways to pry the young forward from Golden State, but the math never lined up. Malik Monk was floated as the centerpiece, yet the numbers and structures on both sides made a deal unworkable.
Now things have changed. Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract with the Warriors, featuring a team option in 2026â27. That contract doesnât make him trade-eligible until January 15, but it does dramatically reshape the calculus for Sacramentoâand for Golden State.
The Malik Monk Complication
GettyMalik Monkâs contract is the key complication in the Kingsâ pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga.
Monk is both the Kingsâ clearest trade chip and their biggest sticking point. After re-signing on a four-year, $78 million deal, heâll earn $18.8 million next season, $20.2 million in 2026â27, and holds a $21.6 million player option for 2027â28.
That option is the problem. Teams donât like inheriting contracts where the player controls the final year. For the Warriors, already jammed against the second apron, taking on Monkâs escalating deal without guaranteed longevity is a tough sell.
That hesitation has been described as âmuted interestâ in Monk despite his steady productionâ17.2 points and 5.6 assists last season.
Why Jonathan Kumingaâs Contract Matters
GettyThe Warriors may weigh Monkâs fit with their 2027 timeline as they decide Kumingaâs future.
This is where Kumingaâs new deal changes everything. Had he signed the $7.9 million qualifying offer, the Warriors would have been stuck: his salary was too small to match Monkâs, and the second-apron rules barred them from stacking contracts to bridge the gap.
Worse, the qualifying offer would have given him a built-in no-trade clause, effectively killing his market.
At $22.5 million for 2025â26 with a team option for the following year, Kuminga is now a clean, mid-sized contract. That makes him tradable for Monk on a one-for-one basis, satisfies apron restrictions, and gives Sacramento the team control it would demand for parting with a first-round pick.
Why the Warriors Would Do It
GettyGolden State Warriors only have two more seasons left before they have to face the reality of a potential post-Stephen Curry rebuild.
Golden Stateâs roster is weighed down by aging stars. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler are signed through 2027, Draymond Green through 2026. Kuminga has been the theoretical bridge to the next era, but his fit has always been uneasy.
Monk offers something more immediate: secondary creation, bench scoring, and the ability to run second units behind Curry. His contract structure also fits Golden Stateâs timeline. Monkâs last guaranteed year runs through 2026â27, perfectly aligned with the final seasons of Curry, Green, and Butler.
What happens after that depends on his 2027 player option. If Monk declines it in search of a longer-term deal, the Warriors could let him walk and preserve max cap space for a full reset in the post-Curry era.
If he opts in, his $21.6 million becomes an expiring contractâone of the most useful trade tools in the leagueâand could be re-flipped for younger players or future picks rather than lost for nothing. Either way, the contract gives Golden State optionality that Kumingaâs looming extension negotiations would not.
The Clock Is Ticking
GettyJonathan Kuminga becomes trade eligible on January 15th if the Warriors look to try shopping him again before entering another potential contract dispute next summer.
The trade window doesnât open until mid-January. That timing matters. By then, Sacramentoâs place in the Western Conference standings will dictate urgency.
With Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan carrying the scoring load, Domantas Sabonis anchoring the middle, and Keegan Murray, Devin Carter, and Keon Ellis rounding out the core, the Kings could easily find themselves one wing defender short in the playoff race.
For Golden State, early-season struggles could tilt them toward short-term help. And with both Curry and Butler approaching free agency in 2027, every season is a countdown.
The Kings havenât stopped eyeing Kuminga. Monkâs contract remains a complication, but the Warriorsâ decision to lock Kuminga into a $48.5 million deal has cracked open a window that didnât exist before. When January arrives, Sacramento will be ready to see if Golden State is willing to let go.
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