Warriors F Jonathan Kuminga
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Warriors F Jonathan Kuminga
The Golden State Warriors are not just listening to Jonathan Kuminga offers — they are drawing lines.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Golden State has made it clear what they are not willing to get back in return for the former No. 7 pick.
And that requires more work from the Los Angeles Lakers, who have Kuminga on their radar in search of an athletic 3-and-D wing. The Kuminga new trade suitor has not generated meaningful interest inside the Warriors’ front office.
“Golden State has made it very clear they have no interest in [Sacramento’s] Malik Monk,” Fischer said Tuesday on Bleacher Report’s NBA Insider Notebook. “And I don’t think the Warriors want to move Kuminga for some combination of Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber.”
That stance has effectively stalled any direct Lakers–Warriors trade talks and reframes Los Angeles not as a frontrunner, but as a structural mismatch.
Why Warriors Are Not Interested in Lakers’ Package
Fischer reported that while the Lakers have shown interest in Kuminga, checked in over the summer, and continue to monitor his situation, Golden State has not been receptive to what Los Angeles can send back.
“The Lakers are continuing to look at all options on the 3-and-D wing market right now, and they’re not finding many,” Fischer said. “So, of course, Kuminga is on their list. But for either team to get him, they’re going to need to find some type of three-team arrangement.”
That is not posturing. It is a firm valuation signal.
Golden State does not want to trade Kuminga for a salary filler.
It wants meaningful basketball value. The question now is whether they can get what they want.
Kuminga Trade Eligibility Opens Jan. 15, but Warriors Not Rushing
Kuminga’s trade restriction lifts Jan. 15, roughly three weeks before the Feb. 5 deadline.
But Golden State is not treating that as a trigger.
“Golden State understands that it might need until Feb. 5,” Fischer wrote Monday in The Stein Lin e, noting that the market for Kuminga has been slower to form than expected.
The Warriors are exploring the Kuminga market. But they are also screening offers.
What Golden State Actually Wants
Fischer reported that Golden State’s internal goal is not to accumulate picks or clear money.
It is to improve the roster now.
Their hope is to turn Kuminga into “a legitimate rotational piece (or two)” that increases championship probability while Stephen Curry continues to play at an MVP-caliber level.
They are not rebuilding. They are recalibrating. It also means the bar is high.
But the Warriors have also hurt Kuminga’s trade value with a string of CD-DNPs, which is why his market is slow to take shape.
Why the Lakers Don’t Match the Warriors’ Needs
The Lakers’ appeal lies in flexibility, not in the type of players Golden State wants.
They can offer expiring contracts like Rui Hachimura’s and role players such as Vincent, Vanderbilt or Kleber.
But none of those names represent the kind of on-court upgrade Golden State is seeking.
That is why a third team becomes necessary — one that can send Golden State a more appealing piece while absorbing the Kuminga new trade suitor’s outgoing contracts.
Until that team emerges, the conversation is theoretical.