The Sacramento Kings have shown continued interest in Jonathan Kuminga this offseason.
With the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga essentially at a stalemate, fans are growing restless with the lack of moves from the franchise.
The Warriors’ zero moves this summer can be directly tied to their inability to reach an agreement on a contract extension with Kuminga.
Evidently, many expect Kuminga to get traded to another franchise. But which team is most interested in the services of the 22-year-old? Well, the Sacramento Kings reportedly think highly of Kuminga.
After parting ways with De’Aaron Fox, the Kings have essentially hit the reset button on their current experiment.
However, it doesn’t mean that the Kings plan to tank during the regular season. If anything, they want to inject the team with a combination of young blood and veteran leadership.
The Kings hope to achieve that by signing Kuminga and LeBron James‘ former teammate, Russell Westbrook, this summer, per Forbes’ Evan Sidery.
“The Kings are hoping to acquire both Jonathan Kuminga and Russell Westbrook. As Sacramento negotiates a sign-and-trade for Kuminga with the Warriors, Westbrook is waiting for a resolution there before he signs,” Sidery wrote on X.
He added: “Kuminga is holding up the free agent market with this stalemate.”
Aside from Kuminga, Westbrook remains one of the biggest free agents in the offseason right now after declining his one-year player option with the Denver Nuggets.
As mentioned earlier, Kuminga has essentially forced the Warriors to make no other moves in the offseason. So much so that once the stalemate is resolved, the Warriors already have four free agent targets in mind.
But it’s easier said than done, as Kuminga rejected the Warriors’ recent $45m offer to return to the team.
On the trade front, the Kings reportedly offered a three-year, $63 million deal to Kuminga in a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors.
However, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Warriors rejected the deal due to the Kings’ offer of Malik Monk and a 2030 first-round draft pick (lottery-protected).
