Panic in Golden State? Bulls and Celtics Among Top Landing Spots For Jonathan Kuminga After He Snubbed the Dubs
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Full disclosure: I’m a lifelong Chicago Bulls fan, and I’m a Jonathan Kuminga truther.
So today, when the Golden State Warriors’ 22-year-old forward told the Dubs thanks-but-no-thanks to their two-year, $45 million contract offer, I got all happy.
Dear Jonathan Kuminga-
— Alan Goldsher (@AlanGoldsher) July 30, 2025
Convince your people to get you to Chicago.
Love,
Alan
_____
Dear Chicago Bulls,
Convince your people to get you Jonathan Kuminga.
Love,
Alan
But I’m far from the only Kuminga truther out there, and the battle for the heart and mind of the potential-laden forward will be intense. Here are four teams who will enter the Kuminga Sweepstakes early and often.
(Note: These options don’t reflect the salary cap machinations necessary to consummate a sign-and-trade. Whichever team wants Kuminga the most will figure it out.)
Sacramento Kings
The 6’7”, 225-pounder has been linked to Sacramento for some time, and that’s completely understandable, as the Kings need a do-over, and a Kuminga-ian young athlete is just the guy to help launch a reboot.
No slight to Kings forward Demar DeRozan—one of my favorite players in NBA history—but Sactown’s current front line of DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis won’t get it done.
Some iteration of a DeRozan/Kuminga swap could work out for both teams, as the Kings welcome a player who better fits with their timeline, while the Warriors land a bucket-getter would be straight-up scary alongside Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are on the precipice of something special, but Tobias Harris, while a perfectly fine NBA forward, isn’t special enough to net them a high playoff seed.
Kuminga, however, would make an ideal running buddy for Ausar Thompson, and he’d quickly become Cade Cunningham’s BFF, and the Pistons would officially evolve into the team that nobody wants to face in the postseason.
Would Golden State be interested in acquiring Harris? The fit wouldn’t be as seamless (or as explosive) as DeRozan, but if the Dubs are fed up with Kuminga and/or his management, they could do worse.
Boston Celtics
The C’s are in throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks mode, so everything is on the table. Might that “everything” involve sending, say, Derrick White out West?
With their flurry of offseason moves, Boston has made it obvious they’re planning for the 2026-27 season, when Jayson Tatum is (hopefully) back to full strength, so they can certainly afford to move on from a 31-year-old who’s suddenly a grizzled vet on a team that doesn’t need grizzled vets.
That would leave the 2026-27 Celtics with a potential starting lineup of Tatum, Kuminga, Jaylen Brown, Anfernee Simons, and a center to be named later, with reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard anchoring a solid bench. Can you say, Eastern Conference favorites?
As for Golden State, a Steph Curry/Derrick White backcourt would be a straight-up chef’s kiss.
Chicago Bulls
We saved the best for last. Or at least my best. Because the Bulls most definitely aren’t the best.
Chicago has been eyeballing Kuminga for a year-ish, but it doesn’t seem like they have the horses to get a reasonable deal done.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points suggested that the Bulls could land Kuminga with a package revolving around Ayo Dosunmu and some high-end draft capital, but unless Chicago can get rid of Nikola Vucevic and/or Patrick Williams in the process, sending a potential future lottery pick doesn’t make sense, as Kuminga—while a fantastic talent—isn’t yet an alpha dog.
That said, pairing Kuminga with second-year man Matas Buzelis might make giving up a first worthy of consideration. After all, a Buzelis/Kuminga/Josh Giddey/Coby White/Zach Collins starting five won’t win them a division, let alone a ring, but it’s the start of something.
And considering what we Chicagoans endured since the days of Derrick Rose, something is way better than nothing.
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-82121a1351894b8089c555f4b4b69420-1d609352940036e7455770363a74a2e9.png "Alan Goldsher")
Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.