One Trade the Kings and Warriors Should Regret Passing Up

The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors were heavily involved in trade rumors from the 2025 offseason to the 2026 NBA trade deadline, but as the buzzer on February 5 sounded, no deal was completed between the two California franchises.

The Kings had a widely-reported interest in young forward Jonathan Kuminga, but the Warriors seemingly had no interest in anything Sacramento had to offer. Instead, the Warriors sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. While in theory, Porzingis is a great addition to Golden State, the Kings and Warriors likely both wish they had gotten a deal done.

Ideally, the Kings and Warriors would have been able to swap DeMar DeRozan for Jonathan Kuminga ahead of last month's trade deadline.

Why the Kings wish they did this trade

Mar 1, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) dunks against the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Kings sit in last place in the West with a 16-51 record. Sure, they are looking forward to adding premier talent in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the young pieces they currently have on the roster are equally important. While they have guys like Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, Dylan Cardwell, Keegan Murray, and Devin Carter, all 25 or younger, adding Kuminga into the mix would have been incredible.

Kuminga undoubtedly has his ups and downs, but at just 23 years old and in his fifth year in the NBA, he has plenty of potential.

JONATHAN KUMINGA SINCE JOINING HAWKS:

27 PTS on 9-12 FGM, win
17 PTS on 5-9 FGM, win
20 PTS on 7-10 FGM, win pic.twitter.com/OHkZsXGObY
— NBA (@NBA) March 2, 2026

Getting Kuminga in exchange for DeRozan would have been a good trade-off for a franchise entering a rebuild. DeRozan, while an all-time great, is 36 years old and does not fit the Kings' new-look timeline in the slightest. For everyone involved, it would have been great to see DeRozan get sent to a playoff contender as his career nears its end.

It is also worth noting that the Warriors were specifically interested in Keon Ellis, per ESPN's Shams Charania, but the Kings were not as willing to throw him into a potential deal for Kuminga. Instead, the Kings traded Ellis and Dennis Schroder to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for De'Andre Hunter. Is that a better scenario than trading him away for Kuminga? Probably not.

If Ellis had made the difference in acquiring Kuminga, the Kings likely would regret not making that move.

Why the Warriors regret declining the Kings

Mar 11, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward/guard DeMar DeRozan (10) between plays against the Charlotte Hornets during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

If the Warriors were able to acquire DeRozan at the trade deadline, many of their current problems would have dissolved. The Warriors have not been able to rely on the availability of Porzingis, and with Jimmy Butler out for the season and Steph Curry dealing with an injury of his own, acquiring an injury-prone big man was a head-scratcher.

DeRozan, on the other hand, has played in all but one game this season and would have been an ideal replacement for the injured Butler. Not only is DeRozan capable of leading the Warriors when their other stars are sidelined, but he would also be capable of playing alongside Curry and Draymond Green in a playoff series.

The Warriors were trading Kuminga away regardless, so swapping him for a veteran scorer to save their season would have been a much safer option. Now, the Warriors have lost eight of their last 11 games to move to 32-33 on the season and ninth place in the West.

The Kings and Warriors are both sitting in tough positions, but if they were able to swap Kuminga and DeRozan at the trade deadline, they would both be in better spots moving forward.