Seemingly everyone but Joe Lacob has long believed the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga would be better off if he were on a different team. Nevertheless, the young forward finally demanded a trade on Thursday, the first day he could be dealt after re-signing with the team this offseason. A particularly rough 2025-26 season for Kuminga has left his trade value at an all-time low. As Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. searches for value on the trade market, two teams in particularly could prove
pivotal: the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
While no team’s interest in Kuminga has been more well documented than the Sacramento Kings, the Nor Cal rivals have remained steadfast in their asks of each other. The Warriors have had no interest in taking back Malik Monk’s contract while the Kings have taken a future first-round pick off the table after Kuminga was taken out of the Warriors rotation. Reports have noted vague interest from several other teams around the league, but none that are compelling enough to force Sacramento to up its offer.
In Shams Charania and Anthony Slater’s reporting around Kuminga’s trade demand, they mentioned that, “the Warriors have been prioritizing expiring contracts in return for Kuminga.” The buried note in the story is actually somewhat surprising given other reports have noted the Warriors as most interested in young players on long-term contracts like Nic Claxton, Daniel Gafford, and Trey Murphy III.
Perhaps another tidbit from Charania and Slater’s reporting answers that question. Charania and Slater confirmed a report by Jake Fischer of The Steinline earlier in the week that listed the Lakers as a new potential suitor for Kuminga.
Our friends at Silver Screen and Roll speculated that the Lakers could be interested in trading Rui Hachimura, an excellent shooting power forward, for Kuminga. But I’m skeptical that the Lakers are interested enough in Kuminga to trade a starter to acquire him unless the Warriors also offered a first-round pick.
Instead, a look at the Lakers cap sheet reveals something interesting. The Lakers expiring contracts of Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber add up to Kuminga’s exact $22.5 million salary. Kleber has barely seen the floor this season while Vincent has been limited by injuries and has only played 18 minutes per game when healthy. His role will likely be even smaller once Austin Reaves returns from an injury of his own.
The Heat were reportedly interested in Kuminga last summer, although they also reportedly never actively pursued him. Still, they have one of the most unique situations in the league with point guard Terry Rozier. Rozier remains under contract with the team, but is not being paid or playing as he faces criminal charges for his involvement in an illegal gambling operation. Even though he’s unavailable to play, the Heat could use his $26.4 million salary figure as matching salary in a deal for someone like Kuminga.
Rozier, Kleber, and Vincent would do nothing to help the Warriors in 2025-26 and beyond, but that’s where things get interesting. How much is turning those veteran expiring contracts into a flier on Kuminga’s upside that doubles as an expiring contract of its own next season if he fails to develop in the way his fans hope worth? A protected future first-round pick seems like a reasonable price for that. The Lakers can trade the team’s 2031 first while the Heat have multiple tradable firsts.
Both the Lakers and Heat are currently competitive squads with clear flaws that likely prevent them from making a championship run this season. If a blockbuster trade does not come together for either team, using expiring contracts and a protected first-round pick to give them more flexibility this summer may be the ideal move.
The Lakers or Heat entering the foray could also be enough to force the Kings hand. Would Sacramento still refuse to package a draft pick with Monk if the Warriors had another option? Would the Warriors even want a protected pick from the Kings if they had an alternative that did not require dealing with Monk’s long-term money?
The Warriors have been loathe to trade any first-round picks in the post-Steph Curry era up to this point, only doing so to unload Jordan Poole’s contract back when they traded the team’s 2030 first rounder to the Washington Wizards with top-20 protections. Dub Nation has understandably been frustrated by the team’s stubbornness, but turning Kuminga into expiring contracts and another first-round pick could be the easiest way to make a multi-team deal for a more bonafide piece.
The Nets reportedly want two first-round picks for Michael Porter Jr., who remains the best fit among potential Warriors targets. Would Rozier, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, the Warriors 2026 first-round pick, and a protected 2029 Heat first be enough? The Pelicans asking price for highly-coveted wings Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III reportedly starts at two unprotected first-round picks. Would the Warriors be more willing to part with the team’s 2028 first rounder if they added another future first in a separate trade?
If the Warriors aren’t willing to meet the asking price for bigger pieces, there are a long list of solid role players like Nic Claxton, Corey Kispert, Daniel Gafford, Josh Green, Robert Williams, Naji Marshall, Saddiq Bey, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Keon Ellis who could probably be acquired for one first-round pick as well. Perhaps the Dubs trade the team’s 2026 selection for a more valuable target, but they could also redirect a protected first from the Lakers or Heat with expiring contracts to get a solid role player (like they did when they acquired Gary Payton II in a multi-team deal for James Wiseman).
Few teams (if any) are huge fans of Kuminga as a player, but the Warriors only need a trade partner to covet his contract. Teams like the Lakers and Heat should be extremely interested in turning valueless expiring contracts into Kuminga even if they are lukewarm on his on-court upside. If they want salary cap space this summer to make a free-agent splash, then they can simply decline the club option in his contract. However, with an exceptionally weak impending group of free agents, the best players available will likely be via trade, where an intriguing prospect on an expiring contract like Kuminga is most valuable.
The Warriors hoped for Kuminga to find a role with this year’s team and probably be the beneficiaries of that offseason flexibility themselves. However, the relationship has finally seemed to reach a point of no return. Now that contract may be the last piece of leverage Golden State has to try and get some semblance of a trade return for Jonathan Kuminga that helps upgrade the roster.
