Buried on the Golden State Warriors’ bench, fifth-year veteran Jonathan Kuminga is looking for a fresh start.
The holidays aren’t over yet, at least from a hardwood perspective.
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The next landmark on the NBA calendar is quickly approaching, as the 2026 trade deadline is scheduled for Feb. 5. Beyond the continued dominance of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the chase for the NBA Finals is relatively open, as many will be wheeling and dealing to increase their odds of standing among the final two or simply rebuild for a future run.
Ballislife will be keeping tabs on names potentially on the move at the deadline. This series starts with the potential move of Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga...
The Player: Jonathan Kuminga
The Current Team: Golden State Warriors
The Contract: $24.3 million club option for 2026-27
The Skinny on Kuminga
A yield from G League Ignite, Kuminga was a rookie depth star during the Warriors’ last championship run in 2022. The seventh pick of the 2021 draft (chosen immediately before Franz Wagner and nine picks before All-Star Alperen Şengün) enjoyed a breakout season in his third tour when Draymond Green dealt with lower-body issues.
A knee injury of his own somewhat derailed Kuminga’s career momentum, but he earned a two-year, $48.8 million contract extension for his work to date. This time around, medical hypotheticals have gotten in the way: Kuminga and the Warriors have been at an impasse since their first game of the calendar year against Oklahoma City.
With the top of the Warriors’ depth chart decimated by injury, the stage was set for extended Kuminga minutes (which had been partly wiped out in favor of Quentin Post as the spell four), but he was a late addition to the injury report due to back soreness. A joint report from Sam Amick, Nick Friedell, and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic stated that some within the Warriors organization thought he was not truly injured, only further souring an already tepid relationship.
Kuminga has not taken the floor since, with his last showing being 10 minutes off the bench in a loss in Phoenix on Dec. 18. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Jan. 15 that Kuminga has requested a trade out of the Bay Area. Kuminga wasted no time, as Thursday was the first day he could be moved under the terms of his current contract.
The Interest in Kuminga
As a 23-year-old lottery pick from the early part of this decade, Kuminga should attract solid interest: he was a fringe contributor to a championship as a teenager and posted solid stats (14.9 points and 6.8 rebounds, albeit with a turnover problem) in the first dozen games of this tour before he was replaced by rookie Will Richard in Golden State’s attempt to play smaller. From there, the confidence in Kuminga has dwindled, and things reached rock bottom with the injury report incident against the Thunder.
With a club option on Kuminga going into 2026-27, it’s possible the Warriors could hang on to him in the name of testing his value as an expiring contract on the offseason market. But looking to capitalize on whatever’s left of the Stephen Curry era (the Warriors place second on the Western Play-In bracket, three games out of the last of the automatic six berths, entering Thursday night play), the immediate focus could turn to scoring, rebounding, or mid-range shooting.
Kuminga’s reported request starts a bit of a countdown, but some in the Golden State organization may feel it’s too late: the longer he stays nailed to the Chase Center bench, the further his deadline value plummets. The Athletic trio reports that the Sacramento Kings previously offered Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick for Kuminga’s services over the offseason, but that recent events likely takes that deal out of consideration.
Who Might Call for Jonathan Kuminga?
Kuminga is a classic rollercoaster lottery pick case where a change of scenery, even in a rebuilding environment, could be the best thing for his career.
His work during the 2021 Finals run and last postseason (hitting 40 percent from three in eight showings) shows that he can contribute to a victorious cause. For now, that stands as window dressing in his case for Association longevity. Character-building in an immediately lost cause will give him a chance to take on a larger spotlight and generate some lasting film opportunities.
Both Charania and The Athletic trio report that Golden State is interested in expiring contracts. The Kuminga inactivity has partly led to this relative desperation: with Kuminga joined by draft classmate Moses Moody, Golden State has fallen into the midst of lottery mediocrity, headlined by the infamous 2020 selection of James Wiseman.
Brooklyn Nets
This current iteration of the Brooklyn rebuild has afforded an opportunity for several of its participants (i.e., Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dennis Schröder) to take on higher opportunities on contenders. Kuminga could be the latest to take on such a role on Atlantic Avenue, where he’d serve as a de facto elder statesman on a team packed to the brim with recent draft picks.
Brooklyn potentially holds the most attainable immediate difference-maker in Michael Porter Jr., though his sizable cap hit (over a $75 million cap hit over the next two tours) would probably force the Warriors to add an extra name-brand piece like Moody and/or Buddy Hield.
Dallas Mavericks
It’s probably far too late for the Mavericks to find redemption for the infamous Luka Dončić deal, especially with Anthony Davis sidelined by injury yet again. Even in absentia, Davis might be on the trade block (Atlanta is reportedly said to be interested after unloading Trae Young), so the Mavs might look to rebuild the top of their post depth chart, using Kuminga and Daniel Gafford (as well as the ailing Derek Lively) as strong post complements for the consolation prize of Cooper Flagg.
Expiring veteran contracts on the Dallas roster include Dwight Powell and D’Angelo Russell, who could serve as some backcourt depth to prevent overworking Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Sacramento Kings
The Warriors might still be able to take advantage of the seemingly inevitable royal teardown: they’re likely not going to net Domantas Sabonis, but could be persuaded to take another relatively young project going through a similar situation in Keon Ellis. Veteran center Drew Eubanks might also be an option, especially if the Warriors also move on from current starting five Al Horford.
Monk might also still be on the table, though it might be Golden State that has to move a pick in this particular scenario.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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