Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors
Getty
Jonathan Kuminga reacts during a Warriors game as the team draws a firm line in ongoing trade talks around his future.
The Warriors’ Kuminga suitor landscape shifted this week when an insider revealed that a leading team pursuing Jonathan Kuminga made an unexpected move ahead of the trade deadline.
The long-brewing Jonathan Kuminga saga in Golden State may be headed not toward a blockbuster resolution, but toward something far quieter.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Golden State Warriors have lost much of their leverage in trade discussions involving Kuminga, whose role has evaporated under coach Steve Kerr and whose relationship with the organization has frayed beyond easy repair.
With Kuminga officially becoming trade-eligible on Jan. 15, Golden State has resumed canvassing the league in hopes of salvaging value for the former No. 7 overall pick. But the landscape has shifted — and not in the Warriors’ favor.
What once looked like a bidding market now resembles a waiting game.
Warriors’ Kuminga Suitor Adjusts Offer
Malik Monk, Steph Curry, Warriors
GettyMalik Monk of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Amick reported that Kuminga’s disappearance from Kerr’s rotation has materially altered how rival teams view both the player and Golden State’s negotiating position.
The Sacramento Kings have emerged as the most persistent suitor, but even that interest has cooled.
“The Kings are widely seen as the leader in the Kuminga clubhouse,” Amick wrote, “but the first-round pick they once offered is no longer on the table.”
Last summer, Sacramento proposed a protected 2030 first-round pick and Malik Monk in a sign-and-trade framework. But league sources now told Amick that the pick has been pulled as Kuminga’s standing within Golden State has deteriorated.
That erosion has consequences.
“With Kuminga’s Warriors role disappearing this season, and his frayed relationship with Steve Kerr an open secret,” Amick noted, “this is potentially the price Golden State will pay for that crucial loss in leverage.”
The Warriors, meanwhile, remain uninterested in absorbing the Kings’ veteran contracts, meaning any deal would likely require a third team to facilitate salary and asset movement.
Warriors Signal Willingness to Wait — But Kuminga Frontrunner Sees Posturing
Publicly, Golden State has taken a firm stance.
Amick reported that the Warriors insist they are prepared to carry Kuminga past the Feb. 5 trade deadline if no acceptable deal emerges — even if that position is unpopular internally and among the fan base.
That posture, however, is being met with skepticism around the league.
NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints described the situation as untenable and believes the Warriors’ messaging is largely strategic.
“It’s just turned into a very awkward situation,” Siegel said. “He knows he doesn’t want to be there. Steve Kerr knows he doesn’t want to be there. The front office knows his camp no longer wants to operate with the Warriors.”
Siegel pointed to a recent example that underscored how fragile the relationship has become.
Against Oklahoma City, with multiple Warriors sidelined by injury, Kuminga appeared poised for a significant role — only to be added to the injury report late and ruled out with back soreness.
“I just don’t believe that was a real injury situation,” Siegel said. “It feels like his camp doesn’t want his value diminished anymore by Steve Kerr’s rotations and minutes.”
Whether fair or not, the perception has taken hold: both sides are preparing for separation.
Sacramento Still Leads — But the Price Has Dropped
Despite the shifting dynamics, Sacramento remains the most logical destination, given its continued need for athletic wing scoring and Kuminga’s age profile fitting its competitive timeline.
But the Kings are no longer bidding from a position of urgency.
With no first-round pick involved and Golden State uninterested in Sacramento’s veteran depth, any deal now appears likely to be incremental rather than transformative.
That reality has reframed the central question.
It is no longer what Kuminga could become elsewhere — but what he is worth now.
A Quiet Ending to a Loud Promise
Once viewed as a cornerstone of the Warriors’ post-dynasty future, Kuminga now represents a cautionary tale of timelines misaligned.
The Warriors need immediate contributors to maximize Stephen Curry’s remaining prime years. Kuminga needs development, usage, and trust — all things he no longer receives in Golden State.
Those realities have converged into something uncomfortable but inevitable.
The league is watching. The Warriors are listening. Kuminga is waiting.
And as the deadline approaches, the most likely outcome is not a splash — but a settlement.
A quiet ending to what was once a very loud promise.