The Jonathan Kuminga saga continues to stretch on with no end in sight, as every report about the free agency standoff between the Warriors and Kuminga indicates the two sides are no closer to a resolution than they were on July 1.
The latest from Sam Amick of The Athletic offers yet another idea of how entrenched the Warriors are in their current position, as the Sacramento Kings reportedly upped their sign-and-trade offer and still got swiftly turned down. Per Amick, the Kings offered Malik Monk and a lottery protected 2030 first-round pick for Kuminga, with the pick becoming the less favorable of Sacramento and San Antonio’s 2031 first-rounder if it doesn’t convey.
The Warriors are not willing to budge off their demands for an unprotected first, even though in this deal they’d be guaranteed at least one late first for a player who doesn’t have much of a market around the league. And so, a full month after free agency began, we remain effectively where we started in San Francisco.
Jonathan Kuminga wants to leave Warriors for Kings, who have offered him a starting spot, per report
James Herbert
Kuminga still prefers to end up somewhere he can start and take on a bigger role, while the Warriors are insisting on a two-year deal with a team option and a waived no-trade clause. That, unsurprisingly, is a non-starter for Kuminga, as he’d give up any upside by signing such a deal. The Kings and Suns both are reportedly willing to pay him what he wants and give him a significant role, but Phoenix has nothing in terms of assets the Warriors want and the Kings aren’t yet willing to give up the unprotected pick Golden State covets.
None of the parties involved have much reason to change their stance over the next month, but once September arrives and we start getting closer to training camp, there will be a greater impetus to get a deal done for everyone. In the meantime, we’ll continue to get a slow trickle of information and regular updates that amount to mostly saying “nothing has changed,” while the Warriors and their expected free agent signings sit in a holding pattern.
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