Everyone knows that the Golden State Warriors will be able to trade Jonathan Kuminga prior to this season’s trade deadline. After several years of tumult, it seems like both sides are ready for a change. However, the lack of salary cap space around the league and the Warriors own tax apron mechanics led the two sides to a likely temporary reunion.
It’s worth mentioning that a trade is far from guaranteed. Despite the tension in the relationship between Kuminga and the organization, he is still only
22 and has remained well liked by his teammates throughout his career. Kuminga’s agent Aaron Turner was much more vocally critical than his client. It would be far from unprecedented for a tense relationship to turn around, especially for someone this young.
Nevertheless, it’s undeniably on the table. And the Dubs front office has to be weighing their options.
Here’s a look at some potential fits:
Potential Sacramento Kings trades for Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga for Malik Monk, 2030 SAC Top-3 Protected 1st*
Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, and Trayce Jackson-Davis for Domantas Sabonis and Doug McDermott
*Most likely
It’s no secret that the Sacramento Kings and general manager Scott Perry were the closest team to acquiring Kuminga in a sign-and-trade from the Warriors this offseason. The Kings not only came to an agreement with Kuminga on a potential new contract, but offered him a larger role, and tried several iterations of trades to find a deal that worked for Golden State.
While the Dubs ultimately did not accept any of the Kings offers, there is no reason to believe Sacramento will not be reaching out again when Kuminga can be traded. Moreover, it is far easier to imagine the two sides coming together now that the Warriors are not limited by the limitations of a sign-and-trade.
One of many reasons the Warriors may have been uninterested in taking the Kings sign-and-trade offer of Malik Monk and a protected future first-round pick for Kuminga is that it’s hard to imagine that deal being unavailable to them at the deadline. The fact is, Monk is blocked on Sacramento’s roster and the Kings were consistently trying to dump his (and Devin Carter’s) contract all summer.
Monk is not a perfect fit in Steve Kerr’s system, but his ability to score off the dribble makes it easy to envision him filling a similar role to players like Jordan Poole and Leandro Barbosa in previous championship runs. Monk is also only 27 and has had the unfortunate luck of bouncing between the Hornets and Kings organizations. I’d be optimistic that he may actually take a step forward in Golden State.
Still, if Monk remains unappealing to the Warriors, I would keep my eye on Domantas Sabonis. The Kings roster is expensive, seems lottery bound, and the contracts currently on their books leave little flexibility next summer. Sabonis is a productive, but limited, All-Star caliber big who is making around $45 million a year over the next three seasons. Given his defensive limitations and postseason struggles, few (if any) teams are likely to offer the Kings a massive trade package to take on his contract.
Enter the Warriors.
Sabonis would be an excellent offensive compliment to Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler. Sabonis would also fit on the floor alongside either Draymond Green and Al Horford, who should have the defensive acumen to help mask his weaknesses on that end. Moreover, the presence of Green and Horford will give the Warriors plenty of insurance in postseason matchups where opponents expose Sabonis’ weaknesses and force him into a more limited role.
Sabonis has one of the largest salaries that the Warriors can conceivably acquire during the season without parting with a member of the team’s veteran core. That would require the Dubs sending out Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Buddy Hield. Golden State will not be keen on depleting their wing depth during the season, but if De’Anthony Melton and Seth Curry are healthy and Will Richard builds on his impressive preseason, the Dubs might be better suited to replace Moody and Hield than it seems right now.
Assuming Moody remains a valuable young piece, the Warriors may be able to use his inclusion alongside Sacramento’s lack of other options, to avoid trading any future first-round picks. The Kings would get a pair of intriguing young players and significant payroll flexibility while the Dubs would add another former All-Star with a bit more youth than the current core.
Potential Phoenix Suns trades for Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and Gui Santos for Jalen Green
Jonathan Kuminga for Dillon Brooks*
Jonathan Kuminga for Royce O’Neal and Mark Williams
Jalen Green and Kuminga have had similar career arcs since they were teammates on the G-League Ignite. Both have been promising athletic on-ball scorers but below-average efficiency, inconsistent defensive effort, and inconsistent passing ability left them on the outs with the teams that drafted him.
Even with his shortcomings, Kuminga’s path to playing time with the Warriors would be far easier if he were a better outside shooter and best suited to be a shooting guard as opposed to a power forward. Meanwhile, Green would be a much better fit in Phoenix if he were a bigger wing who more easily complimented Devin Booker. If it had been allowed by the CBA, a one-for-one swap of Green and Kuminga could have very well ended up happening this offseason.
The fact that Green’s salary is more than $10 million more than Kuminga’s makes a deal at this point unlikely, but if the Dubs get to the deadline and realize they lack scoring punch, packaging Kuminga with Hield and one of their minimum salary players would be enough salary to match. Given Phoenix’s offseason interest in Kuminga and Green’s uncomfortable fit, I could see the Suns being tempted by the deal.
Say what you want about Green, but he was the leading scorer, averaging 21.0 points per game, with a 52-win Rockets team at 22 last season. The ideal complimentary piece to the Warriors core of Curry, Butler, and Draymond is a player both capable of handling an outsized scoring load and being a complimentary piece. Green has proven capable of the former, the latter remains a question, but his athleticism and size would be an excellent backcourt compliment to Brandin Podziemski.
While I’d personally be eyeing Green, it seems far more realistic that the two sides would end up agreeing to a Kuminga for Dillon Brooks swap. In an era of 3-and-D wings, the Warriors really only have one player who fits that mold, Moody. Brooks is a tenacious defender and competent three-point shooter. He also will become a $20 million expiring contract this offseason, which could still be used for salary matching in another later deal.
Assuming the Suns are middling at the fringes of the play-in tournament by the trade deadline, trading Brooks for a young prospect they offered $90 million this summer would seem like a no-brainer. The biggest impediment to a deal would be the Warriors longstanding rivalry with Brooks, including his dirty play that injured Gary Payton II in the playoffs back in 2022. Curry, Draymond, and Payton have clear off-court disdain for Brooks, which would likely mean a conversation between Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the veterans before any deal got done.
Otherwise, as was the case this offseason, the Suns lack of draft capital makes a Kuminga deal hard to find. If the Suns are willing to part with recently-acquired young center Mark Williams, they could make an interesting offer that gives the Dubs some young upside in Williams with a more proven veteran role player who would more seamlessly fit on the roster, like O’Neal, but Williams’ injury history and unique career arc makes that hard to bank on. Still, it feels worth mentioning given the Suns’ aggressive pursuit of Kuminga this offseason.
Potential Miami Heat trades for Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and 2026 GS Unprotected 1st for Bam Adebayo
Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, 2026 GS Unprotected 1st, 2028 GS Top-3 Protected 1st for Tyler Herro
Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, 2026 GS Top-Five Protected 1st for Andrew Wiggins
Jonathan Kuminga for Davion Mitchell, Simone Fontecchio, 2026 Right to Swap 1sts (Top-3 Protected)
While the Suns and Kings were the primary suitors for Kuminga this summer, I remain high on the prospect of him eventually ending up in Miami. The Heat reportedly coveted Kuminga in a potential Jimmy Butler trade last year and still have no clear long-term small forward on the roster. Most importantly, they have a bunch of players that would fit in Golden State.
The Heat have a pair of All-Star caliber players that could very plausibly soon be on the block (Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro), a pair of proven veteran role players with championship pedigrees (Wiggins and Powell), and Davion Mitchell-a personal favorite who could be an ideal backup point guard for the Warriors.
Adebayo is a rumored Warriors target, and essentially has a lot of similarities with a younger Draymond. His exorbitant salary would force the Warriors to likely part with Kuminga and Moody in the trade, and Miami seems like a team that would be insistent on Brandin Podziemski as well. Parting with all three young pieces would likely allow the Dubs to retain more future picks, which should be a lower priority, but seems more in line with how the Heat front office operates.
While Adebayo is the bigger name, Herro is the player I’m keeping an eye on. Herro’s contract is set to expire after the 2026-27 season and is extension eligible and is already sidelined by an injury to start the season. If Miami gets off to a slow start this season, tanking could enter the conversation. Mix that with some internal hesitance about making a massive long-term commitment to Herro, and he could find himself on the market.
Herro also has a significantly smaller salary than Adebayo at the moment, meaning the Dubs could take him back in a trade simply by sending out Kuminga and Hield. While Golden State has been hesitant to part with multiple future picks in trades, Herro is a big enough name that Joe Lacob might be convinced that he could be a franchise cornerstone after Curry retires.
Trading Kuminga, Hield, and a pair of first-round picks to Miami for Herro would give Steph his most dynamic scoring teammate since Kevin Durant left. Herro’s familiarity with the Heat’s system and track record of success alongside Jimmy Butler make it even easier to envision the 25-year old guard fitting in seamlessly on the offensive end.
Of course, there are good reasons Herro’s long-term future in Miami is uncertain: health and defense. Herro’s been terrible defensively throughout his career and a Warriors backcourt rotation of Curry, Herro, and Podziemski would face serious defensive questions in the postseason. Herro has also played at least 68 games just once in his six NBA seasons (and this early-season injury makes that seem unlikely this year as well).
If those questions created too much uncertainty for the Warriors, a reunion with Andrew Wiggins could end up on the table. Swapping Wiggins for Kuminga and Hield works salary cap wise for the Warriors and Hield could be redirected to a third-team to net Miami an additional second-round pick or two and keep them below the luxury tax line. If the Heat wanted to keep Hield, they could also send Keshad Johnson back to the Dubs in the deal to stay below the tax.
I’m not sure how smart it would be for the Warriors to so heavily prioritize their familiarity with Wiggins, but he remains a solid 3-and-D wing with some inconsistent scoring punch.
Finally, Mitchell is an elite defensive point guard who flashed a consistent three-point shot late last season. Fontecchio has been a solid wing role player throughout his NBA career. If the Warriors are simply tired of Kuminga and want to turn him into some cheaper role players, Mitchell and Fontecchio would be excellent fits in Golden State and could come alongside some draft pick compensation.
Potential Chicago Bulls trades for Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga for Nikola Vučević
Jonathan Kuminga for Kevin Huerter and 2026 POR Lottery Protected 1st
Jonathan Kuminga, Will Richard, and 2026 GS Unprotected 1st for Coby White and Jalen Smith*
Despite the Bulls reported interest in Kuminga, finding a deal that would appeal to the Warriors seems incredibly difficult for these two sides. Chicago seems unlikely to offer any significant draft capital that could intrigue the Warriors, but also lack any players that are clearly worth packaging pieces with Kuminga.
In a world where some combination of an injury to Al Horford coincides with a rough first half for Kuminga, a straight up swap of Kuminga and Vučević could come into play. The salaries work for both sides and there’s been mutual interest for some time. Still, a lot would have to go wrong for the Warriors for them to be willing to trade Kuminga for a mid-30s center on an expiring contract who is so limited defensively.
Kevin Huerter could be an unsexy option if the Warriors deal with injuries and have yet to find a great fit to be the starting shooting guard alongside Curry, Butler, Green, and Horford. He’s probably not better than Buddy Hield, but if Hield goes down, the Bulls could throw in the Blazers lottery protected first to give the illusion of a bigger return.
Coby White is a favorite of many Warriors fans, but is not the type of player the front office or coaching staff has historically valued. It’s hard for me to imagine the Warriors giving up Kuminga and a first-round pick for just White. But I’m skeptical that the Bulls would trade White for Kuminga without an additional piece.
Enter Jalen Smith. The 25-year old big has developed into a solid backup big man, capable of stretching the floor as a five and can hold his own alongside more plodding centers at power forward. Smith could seamlessly replace Kuminga on the depth chart and should fit well in Golden State.
Pairing Smith and White’s value should be enough to get the Dubs to package Kuminga with a first-round pick and another flyer (Will Richard would make the most sense) that maybe could land Kuminga with the Bulls.
Potential New Orleans Pelicans trades for Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, 2026 GS Unprotected 1st, 2028 right to swap 1sts (Unprotected) for Trey Murphy III
Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and 2026 GS Unprotected 1st for Herb Jones and Kevon Looney*
The Warriors are among many teams hoping for the Pelicans to implode early in the season and become big sellers. The Pelicans have two wings that every contender wants: Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. Golden State will likely be happy to trade Kuminga if it gets them one of that duo. The biggest challenge for the Warriors will be outbidding other teams.
If the Pelicans are looking to move Murphy for a haul of draft picks, I’d be surprised if he ends up in Golden State. Murphy is on a great value contract and can fit on any roster in the NBA. The Warriors, meanwhile, have been unwilling to package a mountain of draft picks in any deal, especially one that was not for a bonafide star. Someone else will probably offer the Pelicans better draft picks than the Warriors will offer for Murphy. That said, Kuminga and Podziemski are two promising young players who could be cornerstones of a Pelicans rebuild, especially if Zion Williamson is no longer in the team’s long-term plans.
Jones on the other hand, is a tier below Murphy as a player. Pairing Kuminga with a 2026 first, something a flailing Pelicans would desperately want since they already traded their own 2026 first away, should have a chance to be enough to get Jones, and add one of the best wing defenders in the league.
Potential Milwaukee Bucks trades for Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, 2026 GS Unprotected 1st, 2028 GS Unprotected 1st, 2032 GS Unprotected 1st for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Ryan Rollins
Jonathan Kuminga for Kyle Kuzma
Jonathan Kuminga for Bobby Portis and minimum salary*
Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and 2026 GS Unprotected 1st for Myles Turner and Gary Trent Jr.
The Spurs and Rockets have the pieces to make top offers for Antetokounmpo, but I’m skeptical that the Spurs will want to accelerate Wembanyama’s timeline. The Rockets, on the other hand, will likely be hamstrung by a hard-cap and Fred Van Vleet’s no-trade clause, which I expect him to exercise aggressively. If I were Houston, I’d have no problem building a Giannis trade package around Alperen Şengün, but that would be a break from form for that front office.
If the Spurs and Rockets aren’t going to be big-time players for Giannis at the deadline, the Warriors actually are well-positioned to make a more compelling offer than teams like the Knicks, Heat, and Raptors. The lone exception, and the team I expect to land Antetokounmpo, is the Atlanta Hawks. Still, it’s in the cards enough to justify including.
Podziemski and Moody have already proven to be solid winning role players that are still in their early 20s and haven’t reached the likely primes of their careers. Meanwhile, the Bucks would also land Kuminga’s upside, and have an ecosystem built to give him a chance to flourish. The fact is, the Bucks flawed roster has been built around a ball-dominant forward who needs spacing around him, which is exactly the type of environment a development coach would want for Kuminga.
If Milwaukee sees a path to short-term relevance in the East, they could see some value in a Draymond Green/Myles Turner frontcourt, but they would more likely redirect Green to a third team. The Lakers, who lack a defensive anchor and have long been tied to Draymond, have the salaries to make a deal. It seems like all sides could be interested in a package that sent Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, and the Lakers 2031 first-round pick to the Bucks for Green. If Vanderbilt was unappealing for either side, Gabe Vincent’s expiring contract could also do the trick.
The Warriors would likely take back Thanasis to fill out their roster in any deal, but would also be in need of some ball handling depth if they were parting with Podz and Green. Rollins was originally a Dubs second-round pick and seemed well liked internally before he was included in the Jordan Poole trade. Rollins flourished as a backup guard in Milwaukee last season, but would be clearly upgraded by the addition of Podziemski. If the Bucks refuse to give up a young piece, than Cole Anthony would be another option.
Anyway, that’s a lot to write about the least likely deal in this writeup. Then again, what’s the point of preseason trade deadline speculation if not for playing out unlikely hypotheticals?
In a world where Golden State feels like it’s necessary to move Kuminga’s and the Bucks see the writing on the wall with Giannis, but intend to wait until the summer to make a deal, a straight up Kuminga for Kuzma swap would become plausible. A post-Giannis Bucks are rebuilding, and a rebuilding team should be more interested in the unknown of Kuminga’s upside than Kuzma’s mediocre starter/solid role player skillset.
Kuzma is best suited to be a 15-25 minute per game bench scoring forward whose outside shooting is mildly more consistent than Kuminga. Moreover, his deal will be a $20 million expiring contract in 2026-27, leaving the Dubs a tradeable salary in another move down the line.
A Kuminga-for-Bobby Portis swap would make sense for similar reasons. In fact, the Warriors have previously been tied to Portis, who would be a clear upgrade over Kuminga as the primary backup power forward. The Bucks gave Portis a player-friendly contract this offseason in their desperate effort to remain semi-competitive around Giannis, which could make them more willing to part with him for Kuminga’s upside even if there is no additional draft pick compensation.
Finally, Myles Turner has long made sense with the Warriors, and while Al Horford should fill that role perfectly, at 39, an injury or rapid decline cannot be ruled out. Again, the Bucks parting with Turner would likely come alongside an admission that Giannis’ era is over, but nevertheless, Kuminga’s upside and a first-round pick would be appealing. The Dubs would need to add some salary to make the deal work, making a Hield swap for a cheaper guard, like Trent, the potential wrinkle that gets both teams across the finish line.
5 most likely Kuminga trades:
- Kuminga to Kings for Malik Monk, 2030 SAC Top-3 Protected 1st
- Kuminga, Hield, 2026 GS Top-5 Protected 1st to Heat for Andrew Wiggins and Keshad Johnson
- Kuminga, Moody, Hield, and Jackson-Davis for Domantas Sabonis and Doug McDermott
- Kuminga to Suns for Dillon Brooks
- Kuminga, Jackson-Davis, and 2026 GS Unprotected 1st to Pelicans for Herb Jones and Kevon Looney
