The Golden State Warriors are “reluctant” to trade Jonathan Kuminga to the Sacramento Kings, his reported preferred destination, per insider Sam Amick.
During his appearance on Sactown Sports 1140, Amick noted that the Warriors fear that Kuminga could become a “total star” in Sacramento, which would prove to be a bad look for their ownership team and front office.
“There is a sense from some people involved that there’s a real reluctance not only to finally “quit him,” if you will, but also to see him go up the road to another Northern California NBA team. It’s run by a guy in Vivek Ranadive, who used to be with the Warriors,” Amick said, via HoopsHype.
“And what if Kuminga blows up and becomes a total star? From a personal ownership dynamic level, there are some folks that feel like that could be playing a small part. Again, that’s not really relevant, because these other things are the real obstacles. But I mean, Joe—like a lot of owners—is very involved, too.”
Kuminga Prefers Move to Sacramento
According to the Dallas Morning Journal, Kuminga “really wants” to play for the Kings since the franchise views him as an All-Star and key building block for the future.
“Jonathan Kuminga “really wants” to play for the Sacramento Kings, NBA sources told DallasHoopsJournal,” wrote insider Ashish Mathur. “Kuminga, a restricted free agent, has “zero interest” in playing for the Golden State Warriors ever again, sources said.”
“The Kings told Kuminga they view him as an All-Star forward who will receive a high usage rate under head coach Doug Christie, sources said. That was music to Kuminga’s ears,”
In late July, ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that Kuminga met with Kings GM Scott Perry, assistant GM BJ Armstrong and head coach Doug Christie over a Zoom call, and came to the conclusion that he wanted to join Sacramento. It was noted that Kuminga was offered a starting power forward role during the call, exciting the Congolese player.
Warriors Roster Concerned
The standoff between Kuminga and the Warriors escalated after the latter rejected multiple sign-and-trade offers presented by the Kings and Phoenix Suns. The Kings reportedly offered Malik Monk and a protected 2030 first-round pick, which the Warriors rejected. Elsewhere, the Suns built a package around Royce O’Neal that Golden State turned down, per multiple insiders.
Last week, the Warriors reportedly tweaked their earlier offer, of two years and $50 million, to three years and $75.2 million, but were shot down by Kuminga’s camp. Kuminga declined the offer, preferring a player option in the final year of his deal, despite the Warriors’ insistence on a player option.
The standoff has caused grave concern among Warriors roster members, with Jimmy Butler III reportedly reaching out to Mike Dunleavy and Co. for an update, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson.
“When is basketball going to take over?” Johnson asked on the “Dubs Talk” podcast. “That has to be the thoughts of, in my eyes, the three veteran stars: Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. In that ESPN article, they mentioned that Draymond [Green] and Jimmy have checked in and reached out to Jonathan Kuminga. I can confidently say that Jimmy Butler has also reached out to the team and been like, ‘What’s going on here? I just wanted to know the plan.’”
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