SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 27: Jonathan Kuminga #1 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a dunk on the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at Chase Center on October 27, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Getty
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 27: Jonathan Kuminga #1 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a dunk on the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at Chase Center on October 27, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Coming into the 2025-26 season, it was no secret that the Warriors had every intention of trading forward Jonathan Kuminga, even after a months-long staring contest between the team and its ill-fitting young forward. Kuminga signed, at long last, a two-year, $47 million contract that essentially allowed the team to keep control of his rights for this year while simultaneously finding a way to get good value for him in a trade.
That trade, under NBA rules, can’t happen until January 15. There’s never been any doubt it was coming, but as if to put a fine point on the fact that Kuminga does not fit with how coach Steve Kerr wants to play, he was given a DNP-CD–a healthy scratch–in Golden State’s win in Chicago on Sunday.
The Warriors were always going to have headwinds when it comes to trading Kuminga–it is hard to move a player and get fair value when the whole league knows you want to trade him–but the DNP will not make things easier.
Jonathan Kuminga Has Not Shown Improvement
When he has played, Kuminga has been about what the Warriors have come to expect: A solid secondary scorer who isn’t particularly efficient with his shot. Kuminga is averaging 12.4 points and 6.8 rebounds this season, on 43.8% shooting and just 32.0% from the 3-point line. He’s shown some growth as a rebounder and passer this season, but his numbers are mostly in line with his career averages.
And five years without much significant improvement is the prime reason the Warriors are eager to give up on Kuminga.
But the difficulty now, one Eastern Conference executive says, is finding a way to get fair value for Kuminga.
Steve Kerr, Warriors
GettyHead coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors looks on from the bench.
Warriors Need a Bidding War
Speaking about the Warriors’ eventual efforts to move Kuminga, the executive said, “I think Warriors fans will look at what they wind up getting for him and be pretty disappointed. You’ve really got to lower expectations there.”
The only hope the Warriors have is to somehow ignite a bidding war. But there’s a limit to what teams are looking to give up, and the fact that Kuminga is essentially sure to be a free agent again next summer means everyone knows Golden State will be desperate to make a move.
“If you can get two, three teams bidding off each other, that’s the one hope the Warriors have of maximizing this,” the executive said. “Otherwise, you’ll be looking at the same kind of return they might have gotten this summer. It’s not going to be that much more. You can’t get Cadillac prices for a Hyundai.”
Warriors Not Likely to Produce a Blockbuster for Jonathan Kuminga
The Warriors’ best offer for Kuminga over the summer was a deal with the Kings that might have yielded Malik Monk. It’s doubtful that the passing of five or sixth months has changed that, and the DNP is not going to boost the case.
There has been chatter about including Kuminga as part of a bigger deal, perhaps for the likes of Domantas Sabonis or Lauri Markkanen. That’s a longshot, though.
“It’s hard to see them packaging together a whole bunch of assets around Kuminga to make a big trade,” the exec said. “They’re not going to give away their future drafts. And the young guys they have are good but not great. In the end, this is a modest kind of trade they’re going to do, get a piece that helps you now and you move on.”