Warriors Rejected Eight-Year NBA Veteran in Jonathan Kuminga Trade Offer

The Golden State Warriors turned down a trade offer from the Phoenix Suns

Dec 12, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors went into the 2025 NBA offseason expected to shop Jonathan Kuminga in sign-and-trade talks, but after a couple of months of speculation, the team shut down trade conversations to divert their focus toward re-signing him.

Kuminga's sign-and-trade market was picking up some steam throughout the summer, but the Warriors simply would not budge. Teams like the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and Chicago Bulls all showed interest in acquiring Kuminga, and two of those teams even made concrete offers.

Warriors rejected offers

ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported on two substantial sign-and-trade offers that the Warriors turned down, one from the Kings and another from the Suns.

Dec 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) defends against Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The Suns were one of the highest bidders for Kuminga, as they reportedly offered Kuminga a contract worth around $80 to $88 million over four years with a player option attached, something that the Warriors are not willing to offer. However, Phoenix's trade offer to the Warriors may not have been as enticing.

The Suns reportedly offered "Royce O'Neal and second-round compensation" for Kuminga, which the Warriors were not flattered by.

UPDATE: The Phoenix Suns have offered the Golden-State Warriors Royce O’neal and multiple 2nd-round picks for Jonathan Kuminga.

They’ve also offered a 4-year close to $90M contract extension to Jonathan Kuminga.

(Via, @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/aPSSZZWPqq

— CantGuardBook (@CGBBURNER) September 16, 2025

O'Neal, an eight-year NBA veteran, would actually be a great player in Golden State's system, but he does not seem to be what they are looking for. In his first full season with the Suns last year, O'Neal averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.9 steals per game, while shooting 40.6% from three-point range.

O'Neal is a capable defender who will do the dirty work and can knock down a couple of three-pointers per game, which, on paper, could be exactly what the Warriors need on their roster.

Kuminga's value

Golden State's sign-and-trade conversations for Kuminga were very interesting because, from an outside perspective, it seemed like the Warriors valued him as a future All-Star. However, in reality, the Warriors had such minimal trust in him last season that he logged DNPs in multiple playoff games.

The Warriors have need some size, speed, energy, and rebounding in their frontcourt, yet Jonathan Kuminga continues to record DNPs.

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 3, 2025

Of course, the Warriors were simply looking to capitalize on the 22-year-old forward with potential, but now they are stuck in a situation where he could leave for nothing next offseason. In hindsight, the Warriors should have accepted a sign-and-trade offer when they had the chance, so they could have received a return for Kuminga and resolved the situation.

If the Warriors get desperate, they could open up sign-and-trade discussions again, but it seems more than likely that Kuminga will be in Golden State to start the 2025-26 season.