[Trade] Warriors have obvious Jonathan Kuminga trade demand after latest Kings reports

[SacTownKid]

Yes Golden State has looked really bad throughout this entire negotiation/stand-off dating back to last summer but I'm also frustrated that our front office seems to be unable to just make a decision on this. If Kuminga is a guy that they believe in, that they want and think can be a part of the next core, just find a way to get a trade done. Yes you're probably going to have to part with a piece that you don't want to give up as the price of doing business but the Warriors are our division rivals and even share an overlapping regional market to a certain extent. They have an active interest in not helping us to get better. To overcome that we can't just throw out a "take it or leave it" deal and leave it in their hands.

Sure it might feel good as a fan to hold their feet over the coals and watch them suffer but at the end of the day, our business should be making this team better period. If there was a reason to trade for Kuminga last summer there's even more of a reason now given where our team is at. Maybe Mike Dunleavy is from the Danny Ainge school of asset valuation and his demands are just absurd but I have to think with a trade demand and GS on the verge of letting their season slip away there is a compromise to be made with a protected pick of some kind going back and the Kings nabbing a recent top lotto talent (still just 23 years old) at a discount price.

They look bad only because they are playing hardball and kind of getting a little mean about it. The truth is, Dunleavy isn't wrong, there needs to be a market. Practically no teams were showing any interest in Kuminga last summer. Yeah, the Kings would have maxed him out and regretted it from day 1, but that's why the Kings are the Kings. They'll do things like create cap to pay more to someone like Domas when it was never necessary. That was pure lack of confidence from Vivek plain and simple.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

They look bad only because they are playing hardball and kind of getting a little mean about it. The truth is, Dunleavy isn't wrong, there needs to be a market. Practically no teams were showing any interest in Kuminga last summer. Yeah, the Kings would have maxed him out and regretted it from day 1, but that's why the Kings are the Kings. They'll do things like create cap to pay more to someone like Domas when it was never necessary. That was pure lack of confidence from Vivek plain and simple.

and giving Mike Brown a new bigger contract and then firing him 5 months after. Odd ways to spend money unnecessarily, but this is one of the worst owners in pro sports, so these things aren't all that shocking

 

[ockingsfan]

and giving Mike Brown a new bigger contract and then firing him 5 months after. Odd ways to spend money unnecessarily, but this is one of the worst owners in pro sports, so these things aren't all that shocking

To be fair, Mike Brown forced the Kings hand by going public with his contract demands, which didn't gain him any fans in the front office, I'm sure.

The Kings actually got bailed out by the Knicks signing MB to be their Head Coach this summer. So, I believe that the Kings are no longer on the hook for the rest of MB's contract.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

To be fair, Mike Brown forced the Kings hand by going public with his contract demands, which didn't gain him any fans in the front office, I'm sure.

The Kings actually got bailed out by the Knicks signing MB to be their Head Coach this summer. So, I believe that the Kings are no longer on the hook for the rest of MB's contract.

What if most higher paid players and head coaches tried to force your hand? Would you always cave to it? I'd have told Fox and Brown, you're waiting on us until we figure out the best move forward for our organization. You don't like it, take a seat off to the side

 

[ockingsfan]

What if most higher paid players and head coaches tried to force your hand? Would you always cave to it? I'd have told Fox and Brown, you're waiting on us until we figure out the best move forward for our organization. You don't like it, take a seat off to the side

You could do that, but in the pampered world of pro sports, a disgruntled star player and coach almost guarantees you the season will be a failure. With the Kings infamous bad rep, I'm sure they wanted to avoid the bad publicity. Which I'm sure MB knew and took full advantage.

 

[hrdboild]

I'd offer it's not entirely clear that Kuminga would make this team better. He'd certainly make the team younger, which is a necessary step for the Kings to take, and whatever talent he might have is worth taking a swing on, but mostly as a buy-low opportunity. It's less about holding the Warriors' feet to the fire and more about being opportunistic, given the very real risk that Kuminga will never become more than wasted potential.

The fact is, Kuminga remains a distressed asset because of 1) the Warriors' bungling of this whole situation, and 2) his inability to break into their rotation consistently, regardless of the circumstances that have led to his regular benching. With his value at rock-bottom, you don't bid against yourself if you're the only interested party and there are no other takers. You pressure Dunleavy into accepting a deal that's low-risk for the Kings or you wish him the best of luck. Take it or leave it, indeed. If the Warriors pass and would rather Kuminga's extension rot on their bench for the next two years, then so be it.

Kuminga could be an interesting get, but I haven't seen enough to convince myself that he's worth parting with a piece I otherwise wouldn't want to give up.

In the immediate future I think we both agree that the goal should be to get worse not better. But strategically worse. Bad enough to mine a couple of starters out of the next 2 drafts and reset the salary cap to where we are no longer handcuffed into throwing in draft assets just to unload bad contracts tied to players no other team wants. But not so bad that it takes another 5 years to even start thinking about playing .500 ball again.

I'm higher on Kuminga than most are. I think he represents a rare chance to add a lottery level talent while giving up only a lottery protected pick. Maybe top 20 protected. He's going to get expensive now that his rookie contract is over but not all that expensive since Golden State has done an excellent job of suppressing his market value, whether they intended to or not. Where I see Kuminga fitting in is as a team defender and scorer...

TEAM DEFENDER: He's strong enough to switch onto most modern PFs and hold his position but also quick and bouncy enough to guard wings. I think you can slot him into SG, SF, or PF depending on who else is in the lineup and he's going to be an asset to your team's defense. He may not be great individually on defense but he has shown some ability to handle tough matchups both on the perimeter and in the paint. And I really think we need to start thinking bigger when it comes to defense. I theorized once upon a time that the proliferation of 3pt shooting may benefit smaller, quicker defenders who can fight through screens easier but it doesn't seem to have played out that way. Longer teams are able to cover more of the floor without resorting to the desperation closeouts we're accustomed to seeing with our guard heavy lineups of late.

SCORER: Another reason I think we could get away with Kuminga at SG instead of PF is because he can create off the dribble. Normally if you play a super-sized lineup you're handicapping your offense with too many players who don't have the handle to break down their defender and force defensive rotations. We already know that Keegan's main weakness is his handle. He's got bounce and some counter moves but right now he's mostly a straight line driver who wants to take 2-3 dribbles to get to the basket or pull up into his midrange jumper. We will want a slasher, someone like a Kuminga in the lineup to compliment Keegan. And trading for him now would take the pressure off on thinking that we need to go after iso scoring in the draft.

The outside shooting needs to get better -- that's the biggest gamble here and where Steve Kerr likely lost patience first -- but he has already had one season where he shot 54 for 136 from deep (37%) and it's not uncommon anymore for players to improve their 3pt shooting 5,6,7 years into their NBA careers. Al Horford, for instance, was a non-shooter until he was in his late 20s and he turned himself into one of the better shooting PFs since then. I made the same point about Okongwu over the previous 3 seasons and look at where he's at this season -- shooting 36% on 5.4 3PA per game. That's not elite but it's respectable and it's trending in the right direction.

And lastly... I think Jonathan Kuminga's per36 numbers have been consistently strong in Golden State and it's mostly been a lack of opportunity holding him back. Over 278 games he's put up the following per 36 statline:

Lg	Pos	G	GS	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	2P	2PA	2P%	eFG%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
5 Yr		278	97	6148	7.6	15.1	.503	1.3	3.9	.331	6.3	11.2	.563	.546	3.8	5.4	.699	1.8	5.0	6.8	3.0	1.0	0.7	2.4	3.5	20.3

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/23/2026.

Not elite numbers, not All-Star numbers, but for a 23 year old player that we can probably add for the cost of a Nique Clifford level (20th-30th overall) first round pick and some salary filler that we want to jettison anyway? That's a reasonable risk with some significant upside I think.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

You could do that, but in the pampered world of pro sports, a disgruntled star player and coach almost guarantees you the season will be a failure. With the Kings infamous bad rep, I'm sure they wanted to avoid the bad publicity. Which I'm sure MB knew and took full advantage.

At some point you have to set a standard and not give an inch. Even if it means taking a step or two back, in order to have a better chance to take a few forward in the future

 

[Joshyjosh31]

and giving Mike Brown a new bigger contract and then firing him 5 months after. Odd ways to spend money unnecessarily, but this is one of the worst owners in pro sports, so these things aren't all that shocking

When the assistant coach that we let leave was considered top notch by most around the league

 

[Capt. Factorial]

When the assistant coach that we let leave was considered top notch by most around the league

Career Records:
Jordi Fernandez - .306
Doug Christie - .406

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Career Records:
Jordi Fernandez - .306
Doug Christie - .406

I do believe Jordi ultimately will be better but nice work.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

When the assistant coach that we let leave was considered top notch by most around the league

You don't "let" an assistant coach go to be a head coach. That's just how it is. Every assistant that gets the opportunity to takes it.

The argument that we'd fire Brown to retain Jordi is fantasy. And frankly the local media was all over Vivek and what a cheap loser he was for not giving Brown a raise and an extension 2 years into a 4 year deal.

Our lame "media" is just as bad if not worse than our owner.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

You don't "let" an assistant coach go to be a head coach. That's just how it is. Every assistant that gets the opportunity to takes it.

The argument that we'd fire Brown to retain Jordi is fantasy. And frankly the local media was all over Vivek and what a cheap loser he was for not giving Brown a raise and an extension 2 years into a 4 year deal.

Our lame "media" is just as bad if not worse than our owner.

If you sign a contract, be prepared to honor your contract. When it's completed, if you feel you deserve more, then ask for it. Otherwise, if you're not comfortable with that, then don't agree to a 4 year deal

 

[pdxKingsFan]

If you sign a contract, be prepared to honor your contract. When it's completed, if you feel you deserve more, then ask for it. Otherwise, if you're not comfortable with that, then don't agree to a 4 year deal

Frankly I wish our media had called that out but whatever gets clicks and streams...