Jonathan Kuminga Reportedly Got $90M Contract Offer amid Suns, Kings Trade Rumors
Golden State Warriors restricted free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga reportedly received a significant contract offer amid sign-and-trade negotiations.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, the Warriors have discussed a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, and one of the contract offers made to Kuminga was for nearly $90 million over four years with a player option in the final year.
It was not specified which team made that offer, but Charania and Slater noted that the Suns have "made the most lucrative push" for Kuminga thus far.
Charania later reported on NBA Today that the Kings have offered the Warriors a conditional first-round pick along with a rotation player. The Warriors are holding out for an unprotected first-round pick, Charania added.
ESPN's Marc J. Spears also reported on NBA Today that the Suns' offer includes Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and four second-round picks.
While Kuminga has been the subject of trade talks, the Dubs are reportedly "uninterested" by the returns offered by Sacramento and Phoenix to this point.
Because of that, the Warriors have "begun signaling a plan to cut off sign-and-trade conversations entirely," per Charania and Slater.
The Warriors are under no obligation to trade Kuminga since he remains under team control due to Golden State extending him a qualifying offer.
If the Warriors do indeed move on from the trade talks they have had thus far, they reportedly intend to keep him on the roster for the 2025-26 season under either the one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer or a separate two-year offer they have made.
While Kuminga could refuse to sign and hold out in an effort to force a trade, he would risk forfeiting millions of dollars in the process.
Originally the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, the 22-year-old Kuminga broke out with a career year in 2023-24 after primarily being a bench contributor over his first two seasons.
In 74 games, including 46 starts, in 2023-24, Kuminga averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting a career-best 52.9 percent from the field.
Kuminga was widely expected to take the next step last season, but he didn't show much improvement, averaging 15.3 points on a career-worst 45.4 percent shooting to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
However, after having only limited usage in the Warriors' first-round playoff series and at the start of the second-round series, Kuminga rose to the occasion while Stephen Curry was out with an injury.
In four postseason games without Curry, Kuminga averaged 24.3 points on 55.4 percent shooting from the field, in addition to making 1.8 three-pointers per game at a 38.9 percent rate.
That suggested Kuminga still has plenty of untapped potential if given the opportunity to play big minutes in a featured role.
It is unclear whether the Warriors would be willing to put him in that position next season, given that they feature Curry and Jimmy Butler as their top offensive options. However, Kuminga's youth and scoring ability suggest he remains a highly valuable commodity.
