Jonathan Kuminga Trade: Warriors Forward Garnering Trade Interest From Six Teams

Jonathan Kuminga has had a bumpy past year with the Warriors
Jonathan Kuminga has had a bumpy past year with the Warriors / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Jonathan Kuminga's somewhat tumultuous time with the Golden State Warriors appears to be nearing a likely conclusion. While there is a path for Kuminga to continue on with the Warriors in 2025 and potentially beyond, he is attracting significant trade interest from teams around the league according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Kuminga was given a qualifying offer by the Warriors to make him a restricted free agent. Golden State is in the proverbial driver's seat with his future for the time being, with the ability to match any external contract offers.

Slater reported on Thursday night that the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat all have interest in the young player. Slater suggested the Kings' interest as more advanced, with the other five teams as varying levels of intrigued in engaging in a trade.

Slater added the Kings offered a package that was disapproved by the Warriors: Devin Carter, Dario Šarić and two second-round picks. He also reported the Warriors prefer to add a promising young player and a first-round pick, which would be a strong package for Kuminga.

Kuminga has undeniable talent and raw athleticism but has reportedly had friction with head coach Steve Kerr, who has not trusted him as a starter. Some critics think Kerr's coaching has held Kuminga back, with Kuminga asserting that he was benched by the head coach by a text at one point. Kerr bluntly stated during the playoffs that Kuminga was not getting minutes because he would not further the team's pursuit of winning.

Reports came out that Kerr was particularly frustrated that Kuminga would not pass the ball to Stephen Curry, the team's biggest star.

The young forward has major aspirations for himself, but knows he needs playing time to reach them.


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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.