NBA free agency began weeks ago and Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga still remains without a new contract. NBA fans have been very curious on whether Kuminga will remain with Golden State or take his talents elsewhere, and ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting Thursday that Kuminga won’t accept the Warriors’ current contract offers they have for him. Charania continued to say Kuminga is in no rush to get a deal done and that he is exploring other options outside of the Warriors in a potential sign-and-trade, and that the Suns and Kings are the two teams that have been most aggressive in perusing Kuminga.
With the Warriors, Suns and Kings looking like the top suitors for Kuminga, below I break down how he would fit with each of these teams next season.
Golden State Warriors
As noted above, Kuminga won’t accept the Warriors’ current contract offer and after how last season went, it isn’t a surprise that Kuminga is unwilling to commit to Golden State. The forward missed 31 games due to a sprained ankle and when Kuminga returned, he found himself with a much smaller role, which was mostly due to arrival of Jimmy Butler. The Warriors acquired the veteran at the trade deadline in February and in 22 games Kuminga and Butler played together last season, Kuminga didn’t start in any of these games and he only received 21.9 minutes per game in these contests, resulting in 13.5 PPG for Kuminga.
In fact, Kuminga got pushed to the back of the bench in the playoffs, with the forward being a DNP CD in four of the Warriors’ first six games of the postseason. It took Stephen Curry to go down with a hamstring injury for Kuminga to see a sizable role and he finished the postseason averaging a team-high 24.3 PPG in Golden State’s final four games of the playoffs. Still, Kuminga did not start in any of these contests.
With the Warriors bringing back essentially the same roster next season and the club the top suitor for free agent Al Horford, it is no guaranteed Kuminga sees a large role for Golden State next season if resigns with the club. If he did, the best case scenario for Kuminga would be him being the Warriors’ starting small forward, but given Warriors’ HC Steve Kerr’s unwillingness to start Kuminga no matter the circumstance last season, him being a locked in starter next season would by no means by a sure thing. So, for Kuminga to truly display his talents and blossom into the player he was touted as coming into NBA, his best option is likely leaving the Warriors for a club that can guarantee him a large workload.
Phoenix Suns
With the Suns moving on from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this offseason, and bringing in Jalen Green and Mark Williams, both of whom are only 23-years-old, Phoenix quickly changed gears and now looks like a team that wants to a develop a young, high upside core around Devin Booker, who the Suns just inked to a massive two-year, $145 million contract a few weeks ago.
In this current state, Phoenix looks like a great landing spot for Kuminga. With Durant and Beal both out of the picture, the Suns need more offensive firepower after Booker and Green, and Kuminga would be a perfect forward to pair with those two players.
While Kuminga’s campaign in Golden State last season was a rollercoaster, the former lottery still showed he is a great scorer when given ample opportunity. In the 29 games that Kuminga logged at least 25 minutes, he averaged 20.1 PPG. The former lottery pick still has some major issues on defense that he needs to address, but Kuminga is still only 22-years-old and an elite athlete that has the potential to be an impactful defender in time.
Kuminga fits the Suns’ current timeline perfectly and him developing alongside the rest of Phoenix’s core feels like the most optimal situation for him.
Sacramento Kings
Right now, the Kings don’t look like an ideal landing spot for Kuminga, as Sacramento has two established starting forwards in DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray. That being said, if one of these players was dealt to the Warriors in a sign-and-trade for Kuminga, he would slid into one of these starting forwards spots and fit flawlessly the Kings, giving the club a solid core of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and Kuminga.
With De’Aaron Fox out of town after Sacramento traded him to the Spurs last February, the Kings desperately need help on the offensive end and Kuminga be a huge boost for Sacramento in that department. Following the Fox trade, the Kings ranked 19th in PPG.
While the Suns are a better fit for Kuminga, him handling a large workload as a starting forward for the Kings next season is easy to envision as well and Sacramento likely can build a more appealing package for the Warriors to consider in a potential sign-and-trade.
