Warriors ‘Unmotivated’ to Trade Jonathan Kuminga to Top Suitor

Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs.

The mutual interest between the Sacramento Kings and Jonathan Kuminga is widely documented. Still, the Golden State Warriors reportedly don’t feel compelled to trade their restricted free agent to their Pacific Division rival.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors have shut down all sign-and-trade talks with the Kings, mainly because of the package offered by Sacramento, which includes Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick in 2030.

“Even if the Kings were to completely remove protections from this pick, Golden State would remain unmotivated to make such a trade,” Siegel wrote on August 11.

“Trading Kuminga for Monk straight up would hard cap the Warriors at the first apron, and the only way they could prevent such is by trading either Buddy Hield or Moses Moody as well.

“The Warriors do not want to trade either player in a sign-and-trade proposal involving Kuminga this offseason, sources told ClutchPoints. [Sam] Amick also confirmed the notion that Hield and Moody will remain with the Dubs.”

Kings Remain the Top Suitor

Siegel’s report added that outside of the Kings, “there is no movement on anything regarding Kuminga,” with Golden State not entertaining any offers from other teams.

“The Phoenix Suns’ offer presents less value than that of the Kings, and there isn’t another team that has presented a firm proposal for Kuminga this offseason,” he added.

Kuminga and his camp have reportedly “continued to signal” that they want a fresh start and have absolutely no desire to return to the Warriors. While the Kings, Nets, Suns, and Heat have all expressed interest in Kuminga at various points, Kuminga is eyeing a move to Sacramento, according to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.

“He wants to go [to Sacramento],” Spears reported on July 30 “The Kings are offering a starting spot, as the power forward, next to Keegan Murray and [Domantas] Sabonis.”

Spears added that Kuminga made his decision after a Zoom call with the Kings GM Scott Perry, assistant GM BJ Armstrong, and head coach Doug Christie .

“He’s in. He wants to go there, but the Warriors don’t like the first [pick being offered].”

Warriors Keen on Josh Giddey?

Over the past week or so, several insiders have suggested that the Warriors may be keen on pulling off a sign-and-trade involving Bulls guard Josh Giddey, who is also a restricted free agent and locked in a contract dispute with his team.

However, Siegel poured cold water on those reports, noting that the Warriors are not actively pursuing a deal for Giddey, but have expressed interest.

“Although interest from other teams may exist, the Warriors are not actively pursuing Giddey this offseason, team sources from both organizations confirmed. The Bulls have not held sign-and-trade talks with the Dubs regarding Giddey and Kuminga, a scenario that would be very difficult for both teams to solve financially,” Siegel wrote.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Bleacher Report’s “NBA Insider Notebook” on August 7 that the Warriors would be interested, “depending on how the machinations could go in some type of Josh Giddey-Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade.”

Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan