Kuminga Landing Spots Primer: Gauging Interest of 14 Potential Suitors

The Golden State Warriors benched Jonathan Kuminga on Sunday, and since, there have been multiple reports that they will try to trade him when he's first eligible to be dealt on January 15.

When searching for Kuminga landing spots, we're looking for teams that a) are not contending for the playoffs (and thus have more patience to develop him) and b) don't have much developing wing talent on the roster.

There are 13 teams with losing records. There is one team with a winning record that showed interest in Kuminga in the offseason. Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of each GM of those 14 teams and determine how much interest we’d have in Kuminga.

No Interest

Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers have Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara as their wings of the present and the future. They wouldn’t have the playing time opportunity for Kuminga to thrive.

Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets have three developing wings in Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaun, all of whom were taken in the first six picks of their respective drafts.

Washington Wizards: The Wizards have three young wings in Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly who need playing time that Kuminga would eat into.

Tepid Interest

New Orleans Pelicans: The Warriors are praying that the Pelicans have enough interest in Kuminga for a Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III trade. Kuminga (23) would fit New Orleans’ timeline better than Jones (27), so a Kuminga and pick(s) trade could make the Pels bite. With that said, Jones and Murphy are signed through 2028-29, so if I were GM Troy Weaver, I’d be leaning toward keeping both.

Indiana Pacers: The Pacers have reportedly shown interest in Kuminga in the past, but they already have a similar player in Bennedict Mathurin who is a restricted free agent this offseason. Assuming they can re-sign Mathurin without having to pay him much more than Kuminga is making annually, they might as well keep the thriving 2022 sixth overall pick.

Memphis Grizzlies: The blueprint for the Grizzlies should be surrounding Ja Morant with as much shooting and defense as possible. Kuminga is shooting just 32 percent from three this season, so the driving lanes for Morant would be even smaller while the player guarding Kuminga sags off him. If the Grizzlies trade Morant and go into a rebuild, then Kuminga might make sense.

Utah Jazz: Ace Bailey is the key to the Jazz’s future. Utah needs to focus on his development instead of adding another wing who needs reps like Kuminga.

Decent Interest

Phoenix Suns: The Suns showed offseason interest in Kuminga, and it’s easy to see why. They are lacking young talent at the wings. The issue is how Devin Booker would react to acquiring Kuminga, who presumably needs months or even years of reps to reach his ceiling. Booker, 29, likely wants the Suns to contend ASAP. They are currently 14-11, but if they fall down the standings, they’d likely resume trade talks with the Warriors.

Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are building around point guard Josh Giddey and wing Matas Buzelis. Both are good slashers but struggle to shoot from the outside. I don't think Kuminga would fit well with them. With that said, Marc Stein wrote on Thursday that he was advised that the Bulls are "a team to watch" for Kuminga. Chicago is lacking young talent in general outside of Giddey and Buzelis, so in that sense Kuminga would be intriguing.

Major Interest

Sacramento Kings: The Kings need a total reset, which is the perfect environment for Kuminga to get minutes. And Sacramento showed interest in him this offseason and is reportedly still targeting him. The problem for the Kings is they aren’t dangling a player the Warriors covet. The Dubs could settle for a return package centered around DeMar DeRozan or Malik Monk if they can’t acquire any of their preferred trade targets.

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets don’t have a young wing on the roster as talented as Kuminga, and the Warriors could have interest in Michael Porter Jr. or Nic Claxton, so keep an eye on these teams. Porter is having a phenomenal season that might convince the Nets to keep him, but don’t be surprised if they sell high on him. They are so far from contending that trading him for Kuminga, salary filler and draft capital would make long-term sense.

Major Interest If They Become Sellers

Milwaukee Bucks: Once the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kuminga will be a perfect target as they rebuild. The Warriors would be most interested in trading Kuminga and draft capital for Myles Turner.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers (6-19 at publish time) should blow it up for young players and draft capital, so a Kuminga trade would make sense. The question is, will Los Angeles trade Ivica Zubac? He’d be Golden State’s primary Clippers target.

Dallas Mavericks: Outside of Cooper Flagg, the Mavs don’t have young talent at the forward position. I’m guessing Dallas will sell at the trade deadline, which would open up minutes for Kuminga. Though a Klay Thompson reunion is a possibility, the Warriors should be most interested in Daniel Gafford.