The deadline for the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga to decide what to do with their relationship is October 1 — which, according to the NBA’s official schedule, is two days into the Warriors’ training camp.
The Warriors currently have 9 rostered players, with reports that Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Seth Curry are all set to sign once the Kuminga saga is resolved. There will be a resolution; it’s a matter of the manner and form that resolution will take.
Per a report by The Athletic’s
Sam Amick, in addition to the $7.9 million qualifying offer and the “lucrative but limited offers” that all have had a team option in opposition to the player option that Kuminga desires, there is the option of the Warriors executing a sign-and-trade deal with their NorCal rivals in the Sacramento Kings.
Per Amick:
“While the two teams went more than a month without discussing the matter during the later part of the summer, team sources said the talks between the two sides were renewed earlier this week. And while no significant progress was made in the talks, it’s quite notable that the Kings — who have offered veteran guard Malik Monk and a lottery-protected, 2030 first-round pick for the chance to give Kuminga a three-year, $63 million deal — aren’t giving up on the prospect of bringing him to Sacramento this season.”
Monk would be an interesting addition to the Warriors. He would fill an immediate need at the two-guard spot next to Stephen Curry as a dynamic scoring punch who can create off the dribble, put pressure on the rim, and hit shots from beyond the arc. The Kings reportedly are more than willing to include Monk in a deal for Kuminga. But the interest seems to be one-sided.
“Several obstacles to a deal remain, most notably the fact that the Warriors’ interest in Monk appears to be quite muted. His contract is the primary issue, as he has a player option for the 2027-28 season worth $21.5 million that does not fit with the Warriors’ future flexibility plans. There are concerns about his fit on the team as well.”
It has been previously reported that the Warriors are aiming for a big fish acquisition in 2027 — namely, Nikola Jokic or Giannis Antetokounmpo. In order for that possibility to remain somewhat open, the books need to be considerably cleared; eating Monk’s contract would be a detriment to those alleged plans, which is most likely why the Warriors are reticent to pull the trigger on the Kings’ proposal (not to mention most likely having to move one of Buddy Hield or Moses Moody in order to create sufficient space to accommodate Monk should they decide to keep him — a scenario the Warriors aren’t willing to entertain, as Amick reports).
The Kings also aren’t willing to budge on their pick protections, based on their perception of Kuminga’s performance as the seventh pick in the 2021 NBA Draft:
“From the Kings’ vantage point, Kuminga has not performed like a lottery pick and thus shouldn’t require an unprotected first-round pick in return. If the pick doesn’t convey in 2030, it becomes the least favorable of the 2031 first-rounders between Sacramento and San Antonio. One way or another, the Warriors would get a first-round pick in the current construction of the deal. What’s more, the Kings see Monk as a dynamic player who they’d rather not lose and who would help the Warriors right away — contract complications aside.”
Whatever the resolution turns out to be, it’s clear that the Warriors’ desire to keep control of the situation vs. Kuminga’s desire to control his own destiny based on his perception of his skills and worth is holding things up — and creating restlessness across the board.
