3-Team Jonathan Kuminga Trade Reportedly Being Discussed to Send Warriors RFA to Kings

Jonathan Kuminga might not leave the state of California even if he isn't a member of the Golden State Warriors next season.

Ali Thanawalla and Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Bay Area reported Wednesday the Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons have discussed a three-team trade that would result in Kuminga and Dennis Schröder joining the Kings.

ESPN's Shams Charania already reported that Sacramento and Schröder agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal, but such a three-team trade could facilitate the guard's official move.

According to Thanawalla and Rodriguez, the Kings would send Malik Monk to the Pistons as well as Devin Carter, Dario Šarić and two second-round picks to the Warriors. 

Monk would provide important perimeter shooting for Detroit alongside Cade Cunningham, while Schröder would add a veteran to Sacramento's backcourt. Yet Kuminga would be the headliner, as his future has been up in the air since the Warriors did not agree to a contract extension with him ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Instead, he became a restricted free agent this offseason.

This comes after ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported Monday on NBA Today that Golden State was optimistic Kuminga would return in large part because he has not generated the market he hoped to this offseason. 

Thanawalla and Rodriguez also noted "the trade market for restricted free agents hasn't been robust this week."

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that Kuminga hasn't generated significant interest given the inconsistency that has defined his career.

He was a secondary contributor in his first two seasons after the Warriors selected him with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft. While he took a leap in his third season and averaged 16.1 points per game, he was limited to just 47 games in 2024-25 with a varying role.

Kuminga even fell out of the rotation at times after Golden State added Jimmy Butler and played in just three of the team's seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

There isn't a natural fit for Kuminga, who is still just 22 years old, to take on a significant role on the veteran-laden Warriors who have Stephen Curry, Butler and Draymond Green leading the way. Going somewhere like Sacramento that may be able to offer him a more defined role could help him fully tap into his potential.

The Kings also aren't on the championship-or-bust timeline in the immediate future that the Warriors are, so they would likely be more willing to give a young player further opportunity in 2025-26.

And that may be what he needs to fully live up to the expectations that were placed on his shoulders as a top-10 pick.