Sacramento’s offseason has been a bit underwhelming so far, but that could change in a hurry if the Kings follow through on their rumored interest in Golden State’s restricted Free Agent Jonathan Kuminga. Multiple reporters have previously confirmed the Kings interest in the 22-year old Kuminga, but last night rumors abounded that the Kings and Warriors were in serious conversations that would send Kuminga to Sacramento.
According to a report from NBC Sports California, the Warriors, Kings and Pistons are discussing a three-team deal that would send Jonathan Kuminga and Dennis Schröder to Sacramento in sign-and-trades, while Malik Monk would go to Detroit and Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second round picks would be sent to Golden State. ABC’s Matt George reiterated these same reports as what he has heard, but others like the Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater downplayed anything imminent.
Kuminga has reportedly been dissatisfied with his role in Golden State and wants to go somewhere where he will be more heavily featured. He’s also reportedly seeking a deal starting at around $30 million a year, a number that he and the Warriors don’t seem to be close on as nothing fruitful has come of their negotiations and the Warriors have no reason to bid against themselves with his restricted free agent status. Given that the Warriors have already committed a ton of money to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, it seems unlikely they’d want to give Kuminga anywhere near that amount of money which could be why a Sign-and-Trade makes sense to them.
For the Kings, Kuminga makes a ton of sense as a gamble, although at the reported $30 million mark it’d be an expensive one. Kuminga will be just 23-years old at the start of the season, 7 months younger than Devin Carter or Nique Clifford. Kuminga, a former 7th overall pick, is a proven scorer in the NBA already, averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 45.4% from the field in 24.3 minutes off the bench last season. In the Warriors five-game series against the Wolves, Kuminga saw a bigger role and averaged 20.8 points against a very good defense on good efficiency. He’d also give the Kings a young, athletic cornerstone to build around as they re-tool in the post-De’Aaron Fox era.
The Kings aren’t the only teams interested in Kuminga however. According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans also like him, with the Heat and Bulls originally considered the frontrunners to land his services. The Warriors could also simply decide to match any offer and trade him at a later date if they don’t like the compensation they’re getting (and it’s no surprise they’re not frothing at the mouth to get Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second rounders).
The key date for all involved here is July 6th, because that’s when players actually sign contracts and agreed upon trades get finalized. That’s why the Pistons are reportedly involved right now, since the Schröder signing could become a Sign-and-Trade instead, and they could take back Monk, who it doesn’t seem the Warriors particularly want on their end. If the Kings can’t get a deal done before then, this all might be moot, or they’ll have to get a bit more creative to continue their pursuit if negotiations drag on. Still, I like the thought and if the Kings do manage to land Kuminga, next season suddenly becomes a whole lot more interesting.
A ball stopping forward that can’t shoot 3s nor create for others is exactly what you need next to DDR, Lavine, and Schroder. Its not like the best player on the team is best suited for a free flowing, fast paced, pass-first oriented offense.
Who else is ready to watch 4 guys take turns playing ISO for 82 games?!
(On a serious note, I want Domas to ask out for his own sake at this point)
I think we would have to assume that at the least DDR is eventually traded. Either way the roster construction is off.
Yes. Why get someone who can’t shoot 3s. Think it’s idiotic. If you have Sabonis you run a lot of O through him and you need shooters.
I don’t like it at all.
Why not just keep Carter? It’s practically the same thing as Kuminga but shorter and a potential to shoot.
It’s interesting. I don’t mind the cost of the trade. I think my ouch point on Kuminga’s contract is about $25m a year, but it’s not my money. Hell, dude is younger than Devin Carter (then again, aren’t we all). And if Monk was dealt and DDR remained, it would remain to be seen as to who becomes a 6th man between Kuminga, Murray and DDR.
All of that said, the Kings have been here before, on the cusp of a deal, only to ultimately realize that they were being used merely as leverage by other teams.
My biggest issue with Kuminga is that I think he’s delusional about his own value. Hes a pretty good defender and can attack the basket fairly well, but thats about it. The passing, rebounding, and shooting numbers are all mediocre. Thats fine if we’re talking about a guy that wants to play his role for the MLE or something, but paying $30M/yr to heavily feature him in your offense is a real good way to get nowhere fast (perfect for this Kings team!)
My devil’s advocate would be that, at age 22, he averaged better than 22ppg in the playoffs vs. a rather stout Minnesota defense. And a front line of Sabonis, Kuminga and Murray would probably be the most talent that we have seen up front around here since Divac, Webber and Peja.
It’s a swing that maybe a small market team makes? I’m with you as it pertains to the $30m price tag. Again, not my money.
But we are already going nowhere fast. I’d rather spend that money on a decent lottery ticket and hope he can continue to develop and maybe mature a bit as he turns 23-24 than spend the same money on Westbrook and Valanciunas to win 12 more games and watch the twilight of their career with no real hope for the future.
In the sense that this franchise is the equivalent of a man investing his life savings into scratch off tickets in hopes of hitting it big, I agree. There is no path forward for this franchise unless one of those scratchers comes through, and so it only makes sense to keep scratching (at the low price of $30M/yr no less!).
I just would prefer if the team actually invested in accumulating future assets, and then took the earnings from those future assets to reinvest in more future assets until one day we have a team like the Thunder. They’re so rich in young talent and picks that even if they were to lose SGA, Chet, and Jalen Williams all at once, theyd probably be competetive again in a couple years, anyway.
If we’re all-in on scratchers, then the Thunder are the equivalent of a man with a diverse investment portfolio, 401k, and a pension.
But you are painting an either / or scenario that doesn’t exist.
First, Kuminga could easily be an asset even at a more middling outcome.
Second, we can still trade our veterans for assets and let the team miss the playoffs and get more picks to turn into assets.
This isn’t us throwing our life savings into scratchers. It’s more akin to what Presti did with the Magic.
Presti traded Ibaka for Oladipo and Sabonis when Oladipo was 23 and you could have made a lot of the same criticisms as Kuminga. Then he flipped them for Paul George, who he then turned into Shai.
Presti made a ton of moves like these versus just gutting the team.
So I am 100% with you on the overall principal. But it requires a multi-pronged approach that involved arbitraging talent and taking some calculated risks like these.
I dont think anything you said is unreasonable, I just fundamentally don’t have any faith in this team executing a long-term vision like the multi-pronged approach you have mentioned. Every move can sound genius when you put it into an imagined, years long approach wherein everything works out perfectly in the end.
But I have to evaluate based on what I’ve seen, and what this team has shown me is that it is totally at the mercy of the short-sighted caprices of its clueless owner. Therefore, I can only see acquiring Schroder or Kuminga or Eubanks as having the same strategic foresight as a child buying Fortnite skins with his parents credit card.
That’s a choice you’ve made, J. The org has certainly provided enough examples to assume that the next move, whatever it is, will end badly. I don’t think that reflexively dropping it on any possible move is particularly useful.
For all of the reasons others have explained, Kuminga seems like a good gamble. His floor isn’t awful, and he’s demonstrated that he’s able to be productive when he plays. Golden State is a tough rotation to crack, but Kerr, in my estimation, has mishandled JK’s development. I’ve watched games where Kuminga was having a very productive stretch, Kerr sits him down and he never returns.
It’s a buy-low(ish) opportunity for Sacramento, and those don’t come around often. Signing him won’t be the difference between making or not making the playoffs this season, but a year of regular minutes without a shock collar could pay dividends.
I fully believe that a lot of times, doing nothing is the smart play, but as things stand at this moment, acquiring Kuminga for something like the rumored price is too good to pass up.
He’s a good gamble at the right price. The numbers are getting ridiculous.
Very well said, as usual.
I like the deal but feel like 30m might be a bit too pricey for him
Scratch one for Kuminga.
Exactly. Kuminga can’t shoot. No point at that price or at all. Short sighted and dumb.
I mentioned elsewhere in this thread that you’d hope Kuminga could become Siakam. Pascal can’t really shoot from outside either. He was also a bit of a late bloomer. If you are targeting Kuminga, you are praying Pascal is his projected career arc.
I agree, this is taking a chance on a player who is at a crossroads.
He’s hasn’t proven his worth yet but if he had, he wouldn’t be available. This is one of those less-trodden paths that a small-market team needs to take to find quality players.
Maybe. How about taking a risk on a player that can shoot. Not thinking someone else’s garbage will blosom
woth the Kings.
And how many players have grown and blossomed with the Kings? None.
I’m not a really fan of Kuminga, but if he’s the only young F available and at a decent enough cost (less than $25M/yr and no more than the Saric/Carter/2-SRPs), than F ‘it…I’d happily take him and see it how goes.
If we are talking about giving up more than that though, then no, I don’t like the trade. I’d rather throw more assets at HOU for Eason, at NOP for Jones, or IND for Walker, but that isn’t the point. The discussion was about whether JK can make sense in SAC despite his current flaws and I think he does. I believe a wing-trio of Ellis, Kuminga, and Murray could be part of a winning team.
Interesting. But the fact that he could play with GS ain’t good. And it’s ok to have 1 non shooter/floor spacer but not 2 or more I think?
Kings already have non shooters in Sabonis and non 3 ball woth DDR.
All around good points. Also would add that his shooting is more mixed, but limited.
Last year he hit 35% of his catch and shoot three pointers, which isn’t great, but is certainly acceptable.
However, he also shot only 15% on his pull up three pointers, which, well is bad. He will either need to improve this skill or stop doing it. At least when he gets closer he hits 35% of his pull up two pointers. Again, not elite, but at least starts to look like a base to build off of.
Sometimes we talk about three pointers in a vacuum, but I always break down into approximately three categories:
1: In-rhythm – Stepping into a catch and shoot and putting down a dribble for balance
2: Movement – Coming off a screen, DHO, etc. and shooting while your body is still moving or getting very quick balance.
3: Off the dribble: Pretty self-explanatory.
JK is good at the one which you need to play as part of a team concept. But needs to improve the other two if he wants to use them as a weapon to keep defenses off balance and open up more driving and passing lanes.
And if Kuminga is that good why didn’t he play at all last year? He lost his spot because he can’t shoot. Jams up O.
So, Sac is doing what they do. Getting a flawed player that other yeam
doesnt want for a reason.
You aren’t getting Westbrook or Valanciunas but instead a very good player at 23 who wants more of an input on a team to show his skills. IMO he will be good for the Kings at #4.Is 23 years old scores over 15 points a game playing only 24 minutes a game. I’ll take that anyday.
They might still get Westbrick.
Don’t disparage him like that. He is a future hall of famer, a former league MVP, and the guy busts his butt everytime he steps on the court and never cheats the fans. You may not want him and that is fine, but give him the respect he has earned and deserves.
Fully agreed
Agreed on basically all. I think with the contract, if we were a young team on our way up, I’d be worried we were tying up money needed to extend our core players or acquire a true difference maker….
But the longest contract we can give is 4 years. We will spend at least 2 unwinding this mess and getting some lottery picks. And if not traded; DDR, LaVine, and others will come off the books during that time, so we aren’t going to put ourselves in a bad cap situation.
Kuminga isn’t my favorite player, but even at $25-$20M per season, this is at least the type of big upside swing we should be taking instead of signing Westbrook and keeping Valanciunas to desperately grasp at the 10th seed in the play-in.
Even if we did a full tank, we’d use that money to take on a bad contract like Kuzma, Rozier, or KCP for a mid to late draft pick. And I’m not sure there’s anyone we draft in the 20s who is going to offer the upside of Kuminga. So Kuminga is probably better than KCP + 25th pick.
Basically, even if the deal is rich, it’s for the right type of player and the timing is pretty perfect for it with where we stand as a franchise in a way it wouldn’t be if we were at another point in our rebuilding timeline.
I could see $25 mil for four years, and the long-term security might be sufficient to make Kuminga sweet on Sacramento. Ultimately, it isn’t going to be his decision where he lands, and I’d expect that Golden State may want a bit more than what’s being discussed in the rumors. I’m not sure what I’d add, but I’d probably think about a pick swap, or even a pick with something like top-twenty protections.
It’s also kind of funny that the Warriors aren’t interested in Monk because his role is being handled very nicely by Buddy Hield.
Yeah, I’d even be OK with a 4 year deal that starts at $25m and climbs by 8% annually. That would be roughly a 4/$112m deal, but would pace with the cap increasing.
he is a massive risk, but the type the Kings need to make to have any hope of breaking the cycle of meh.
he is young and full of potential. Could be Blake Griffin but could also be Derrick Williams.
roll the dice and find out if you can!
Basketball Gods baby!
This is good if Malik is involved in the trade because Mark Jones can now say Johnathan means “God’s gift” instead of Malik is King in Arabic!
Wouldn’t it be delightful if he just didn’t say anything?
I’d rather go after him than Kuzma, cause he’s younger. That’s all I’ve got.
Maybe Doug can get him to buy in, but I wouldn’t bet on it since Kerr, Curry and Dray couldn’t.
GS is such a weird place for young players. Podz has been solid, but they kind of yanked Kuminga and Moody around, and Wisemann was a total washout. I kind of get the old Chicago Bulls vibe, where young players had no real runway for development. It was live or die (Pippen lived, Kukoc died). And maybe that’s Kerr’s approach, having been a part of that Chicago team. But the concern over what is in between Kuminga’s ears is a legitimate one. Jerry Reynolds has spoken on more than one occasion about young players that need a 2nd team to “get it.” The hope for the Kings is that Kuminga would be one of those guys.
for 30 million I’d prefer a guy that we know gets it. One of the long forwards on the Rockets or Pelicans for example.
I’d much rather have Jabari Smith and he just signed a five year deal for 25 Mil.
If we could sign and trade for Kuminga for 20 mil and move Monk in the deal. Then yeah, go for it I guess, but would still prefer Eason or Herb or Murphy or Smith. Better team players > potential upside me first players IMO.
30 mil just seems nut to me.
I would prefer all of those guys as well. None of them appear to be available. And I agree, $30m seems to be an overpay.
Beat me to it. If we can get someone like Murphy for Carter, Saric, and two 2nds then sign me up.
But Kuminga is sort of at the intersection of decent gamble and available for what we can afford without sacrificing a lot of future assets we need for more of a home run swing.
I don’t think it’s even a good gamble. I think it’s a stupid idea and I don’t understand what the kings would see. He couldn’t even play with the Warriors. Because he’s an individual player can’t shoot. The kings don’t need that.
It’s not a gamble. It’s just a shitty move. I believe
That is not why he didn’t play. He plays the same position as Jimmy Butler (he also has a similar style as Butler) who is just a much better all-around player.
Kuminga isn’t the natural “glue guy” that the Warriors wanted him to be. While he has a promising offensive drive game, Kuminga is inconsistent from 3, his rebounding is only average, he misses rotations on defense, and he still has a lot of learning to do on the court. The Warriors don’t have time to deal with that as Curry’s playing days wind-down and they continue to push for post-season success. The Kings can give him the freedom to fail.
GSW ruined the relationship and are preventing him from developing. It might be possible to buy low, but if the price is too high, the Kings should just walk away.
That’s why it is a gamble. If he played dominant basketball and was running off screens hitting 40% of his threes and suffocating defense, we wouldn’t have a chance to sign him.
I like this for two reasons:
1 – We are in a rough place and need to rebuild our assets and probably get worse before we get better. So the timing of even an overpay if perfect. Max contract is 4 years and DDR, LaVine, Schroder, etc. come off over time so we will keep cap flexibility. If Kuminga fails it doesn’t really hurt us (other uses of that money = Westbrook + Valanciunas or something like Kuzma and a late first round pick).
2 – Kuminga can score, is good at catch and shoot, and has had good stretches of defense at a very important position / archetype. He’s also only 22!
For context, we just finished a draft where 13 promising prospects were older than Kuminga, including Nique Clifford. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Johni Broome, and Kam Jones.
Kuminga was also less than a year older than a number I won’t list, but some bigger name prospects like Cedric Coward, Walter Clayton Jr., Danny Wolf, Adou Thierro, and Maxime Raynaud.
Basically, he still is far from fully developed. To Adam’s point, Siakam was 22 his rookie season and he hit 14% of his threes and was still developing. He was 24 when he won MIP. Oladipo is a similar story.
Luka Doncic isn’t coming through that door. Shai is not coming through that door. We have limited paths to try to acquire high end talent.
And taking a chance on a 22 year old former top 10 pick whose development has potentially been slowed by fighting for minutes on a contending team, but who has shown flashes is exactly the type of calculated risk we should be taking.
You aren’t getting Murphy for that.
Kings looking in the trash bin again. The second hand store thinking they know better.
There’s a reason Kuminga isn’t playing w GS. He’s already showing how limited he is.
And I just don’t get how you can pick up a young player who can’t shoot. It’s not a good idea. Move on
How do all you guys think it’s 30 mil? Trade hasn’t even been done yet. Let’s wait and see then make your comments.
That’s what he wants, and he may get it someplace, but I wouldn’t go above an average of twenty-five over three or four years. I’d take a swing at that price.
Someone on Reddit brought up how Kuminga “couldn’t even play with Steph” and well less about Curry, it did lead me down a rabbit hole of what young players the Warriors have even had.
There’s obviously a ton who just turned out to be bad (e.g., Wiseman, Paschall), but below are at least some of the young players they’ve had once the core was established who have had any kind of NBA career or are still TBD.
Chris Boucher: Played 1 game in GSW then waived and signed by the Raptors
DLo: Was an All Star in Brooklyn, was marginally worse with the Warriors for 33 games and they flipped him to the Wolves in the Wiggins trade.
Jordan Poole: Had a spell where he played well filling in for Klay, but was arguably even at his best when Steph was out. Got a big contract, but hasn’t been the same.
Kent Bazemore: Didn’t do much with the Warriors, had a solid career as a rotation player after being traded.
Kevon Looney: Took a few years, but developed into a solid rotation player for the Warriors.
Kelly Oubre: Was an exciting acquisition after starting to play well in Phoenix, disappointed with the Warriors and then thrived in Charlotte and was 7th in 6th MOTY voting before becoming a full time starter and suffering bad injuries.
Ryan Rollins: Couldn’t get minutes in GS, went to the Bucks and finally got 800 minutes this season and was ok.
Ty Jerome: Was ok in GS, then went to Cleveland and was ok. Now got an ok deal.
Podz: Has fit in well next to Steph with Klay gone. A bit up and down, but overall a success story so far.
Moody and Kuminga: Both have had moments, but not has fully flourished or really justified their lottery pick.
I’m really presenting this list without an agenda or point. Everyone can draw their own conclusions. If I wanted to force one, perhaps players who are more comfortable in off-ball roles or doing the dirty work like Looney or Podz have done better on an extremely small sample. A couple more on ball players like Oubre and DLo did a bit better elsewhere.
So if we clear the roster glut a bit, perhaps Kuminga could thrive here, if nothing else to grow and increase his future trade value?
Great points. Goes back to my he may be a change of scenery player argument. Buy low on talent and figure out the rest later.
There is a slight similarity to when Denver acquired Aaron Gordon. He didn’t become the star Orlando wanted him to become and Denver really got him on at a good price while he was only 25. In Denver he found a role and has been a key cog to their success.
Gordon realized he wasn’t going to be “The Guy”. JK is looking to be “The Guy”. If JK ever figures it out, I think it will be on his 3rd team. Not the second team.
That isn’t exactly how it went down. Aaron Gordon was frustrated with losing in ORL and he requested a trade.
Gordon is one of those classic cases of a player whose overwhelming physical tools and potential caused him to get miscast as a lead option. He doesn’t do well when asked to process decisions and do more than just defend, rebound, dunk, or shoot an open 3.
He suffered a lot of losing and I’m sure the multiple injuries gave him some perspective about what was important to him. I think Gordon was always a Swiss-Army knife type of player and DEN let him be that and he succeeded in that role.
GSW has miscast Kuminga, GSW wants Kuminga to be a Swiss-Army knife type of player when he isn’t, he is an offensive-first player and SAC might let him be that.
If the Kings can move DDR, they are going to need scoring so in a way, Kuminga could come to SAC and be “The Guy”. He puts pressure on defenses and that is something the Kings lack since Fox was traded.
I am just not sure why SP is so down on Malik. I suppose there is redundancy between him DDR and LaVine- all shoot first. and the trade market for the other two is zero.
Trading 2 guards for one wing. But that wing seems, at times (most times) to be self-focused and not interested in team.
I would not give up a FRP for this guy. and I love Malik.
duds just want to dump him
so Kings would get JK and DS for Monk, Carter and Saric + 2 second picks? and this would leave the MLE open?
Said in the other thread: if Kuminga levels up, I would consider that trade a win.
Perry is trying to attach Monk’s name to any transaction. Heard he tried to tip his assistant Monk yesterday after bringing him lunch.
I’ve also heard the Pistons and Warriors have no interest in Monk.
Just for me, the Kings need to do what the Lakers and Celtics always do after their ridiculous trade proposals get rejected. Wait a few days, then have their sleeper cell media minions leak any trade proposal involving Monk would have to include the publicly discussed trade package plus three additional 1st Rnd picks. Somehow this always re-inflates their trade assets value back up to where they can move on from them a week later.
Perry is trying to move Monk, and yet he has an assistant monk?
I think part of it is the NBA is a bit of a follower or trend-focused league and those trends change quickly. So do player reputations.
Right now, drive heavy scoring guards are just seen as lower value. Clarkson went for a song. Simmons had compensation attached to get Holiday. Monk’s value is lower.
And after two great seasons, Monk had a down year with some injuries and our disaster of a team.
We need to do the Presti. Bring him back (if he’s not a part of a good trade) and just rehab his value. By the trade deadline, if he’s in the 6th MOTY discussion again, he’ll be a 27 year old on a great contract. We should be able to get value for him.
No reason to think his game has fallen off a cliff in one year right in the middle of his prime. Rehab and sell high instead of low.
Maybe I’m dumb, but which rehabed players are you referring to?
My read is he’s referring to Monk – don’t trade him now, hope he returns to form not having to play PG full time, rehab his value, then trade him at the deadline.
For the Kings, rehabbing Monk’s value.
For the Thunder, a lot!
CP3 is a big one, people may have memory holed this, but Westbrook had more value when the Rockets wanted him and CP3 was seen as past his prime and an rough contract. Presti featured him and after playing well, flipped him for Oubre (flipped for picks), Ty Jerome (flipped for young players who all turned out to be bad), Jalen Lecque (flipped for a pick), Rubio (flipped with Jaden for James Johnson, first (Poku) and another pick), and a first round pick they later flipped for a 2027 first round pick.
Al Horford who had bombed with the 76ers and again, people thought he was on the downside of his career. Thunder got him for peanuts (Danny Green & Ferguson) featured him and flipped him for Kemba and two first round picks.
And rehabbed would be the wrong word, but they did help increase the value and perception of Paul George. From lower level all star on a losing Indiana team to MVP candidate on the Thunder, which helped enable the massive haul they got from the Clippers (along with Leonard demanding to play with George if he signed, but the two were interconnected).
Presti is just good a driving up value and then selling high.
My biggest questionmark is what Kuminga on this roster would do to the offensive touches and development of Keegan. He’d be pushed more and more into the 3 and D-type role. But maybe that’s what he is, in the end?
I would prefer Keegan at the 3 point line (like in his rookie year) anyhow. Maybe Kuminga can take a bit of the pressure off Keegan having to exert so much energy as a defender.
I don’t think of Kuminga as a strong defender but who knows.
At this point, I’m not worried about Keegan’s development in relation to roster moves. I believe he’s heading into year 4. It’s on him to take initiative and to shine at a certain point. No player on this roster is worth considering when bigger picture decisions are being made.
Yeah, but as was pointed out in another comment, I don’t have faith in this organization having a bigger picture.
Schroeder
Lavine
Keegan
Kuminga
Domas
Cole Anthony
Keon
Nique
Raynaud
Eubanks (spot mins)
McDermott
I. Jones
Fultz or J. Konchar
2way – Alabama guy and I. Crawford
That’s not a bad squad if everyone plays their role correctly and if these mock trades are executed correctly. The first round pick we give up comes back to us in the DDR to Memphis trade for Cole and Konchar. Monk to the Pistons or Warriors as well as D. Carter and Saric. This can happen and it finally balances the roster. And Cole could surpass Schroeder as the starter at some point which i believe Schroeder should come off the bench anyway. 14 mil for a good back up point guard as opposed to 18 mill for Monk is decent.
Auburn not Alabama guy (Dylan Cardwell). Doesn’t matter to you or me, but to some…
LOL…they might be the two fanbases that hate each the most besides Duke-North Carolina and Ohio-Michigan
How could you forget the mighty Sac state Hornets – UC Davis rivalry it definitely stands up to any of those,
Good point. Let it matter to them. My concern is the Kings.
Go after Kuminga, end up with Schroeder and Eubanks.
#Kings
Not an actual chronology, but sure.
Whatever decisions Perry makes, hopefully we can look back and see that he was much Schroeder than everyone gave him credit for
A lot of great comments in this thread in regards to Kuminga. Yeah, he’s young, may come relatively cheap, he can score, he’s athletic, and the Kings need a combo forward. I get it. He’d be a good addition.
That being said, he’s a bit of a ball stopper, can’t shoot from deep, is not really a plus defender, not a great rebounder, and there may be reasons why the Dubs aren’t brining him back. When a far more competent franchise, with a far better coaching is willing to let a 22 year old prospect go, I have to ask why. I’m not saying he’s the second coming of Coke Machine, but he’s likely not the next Siakam either.
I don’t think it’s a cap issue. The Dubs could move things around and keep him if they really wanted. They’ve chosen to keep Mosey Moody over him and he really hasn’t proven much either. It also may be telling that they are willing to move him to a division rival.
Now if this deal some how comes to fruition, I’d love to see one or both of DDR and Monk get moved as well. I really don’t like the idea of keeping DDR and adding Kuminga because I feel that will truly stunt Keegan. I still want Keegan and Keon getting plenty of minutes so I feel if DDR and Monk are still here with the additions of Schroder and Kuminga, there is going to be a log jam.
In the end, I’ll believe this deal if and when it happens, otherwise it’s just smoke.
No risk it no biscuit.
Monte was unwilling to take flyers on young, underutilized talent, perhaps SP is. A small market team with limited future assets needs to take flyers on players like JK. It doesn’t have to be JK, but whatever options are out there, have to identify them and take the risk from time to time. In that vain, if Ben Simmons came cheap, I’d take a flyer on him.
This is true, and as a bonus, is true for every deal.
If I understand the implications Monk is going to the Pistons and Perry only has to deal with DDR. I feel confident Perry can work out a DDR trade.
I think the proposed trade makes sense for all three parties involved. The King’s need to take flyers on young players with potential who may just need a change of scenery to flourish. Having said that, Kuminga has not earned a contract averaging $30 million a year. Anything over even $20 million would be an overpay imo.
And there is the kicker. Keegan is up for an extension. I don’t think either is worth $30M, but if I had to pick, Keegan has earned it more.
That’s another wrinkle to all of this. If the Kings did in fact give Kuminga that kind of money, what going to happen with Keegan? His agent will likely be asking for the same amount for an extension.
Yeah these numbers are starting to get outrageous. Yes Keegan before Kuminga. Agree. Was hoping to get Kuminga on the cheap since he appeared out of leverage
I suppose if you are able to move DDR and Monk, there could be a way to pay both Kuminga and Keegan, but that is going to be really tight. If you could get them both in the $20Mish range, that a win.
What’s interesting is not a lot of money is being paid in free agency this year so we might be able to get him in the 22 to 25,000,000 range. Which means a similar number for Keegan when his contract comes up.
Keegan is extension eligible now. Either get it done now or he hits RFA next summer.
In a perfect and ideal world neither are making over $20 million, but with the NBA you just never know.
That’s true but he went from almost out of leverage to something ridiculous. If we pay 25-30 mil a year for him we are nuts. Of course we are nuts but even more nuts.
One reason I actually like Kuminga is he does actually think of himself as a good player and wants to be the guy somewhere. Is it delusional? Probably. But I like the mentality. If Keegan had that mindset he’d be unstoppable.
yes the Kings need to take flyers but the numbers mentioned for Kuminga are getting ridiculous. I’ve been pitching his name for awhile and was hoping to get him on the cheap since he was out of leverage it appeared. 3 years 36 mil with a team option.
Just because Kuminga wants a certain contract, doesn’t mean he’s getting it. FA money is drying up, he’s restricted and we all know he doesn’t want to end up back with the duds. I think a SnT happens whether it’s with us or another team and the contract is more team friendly than expected.
I’d say 3/36 mill as you mentioned is actually the contract he has earned or thereabout, def not 30 mill a year.
And yet, we’re paying Schroder twice what he’s worth
That is also likely GSW’s line in the sand as well.
The Kings would probably need to go above it. Somewhere around $25/yr is what I think it will be, but a $90M/4yr (20.5/22.5/22.5/24.5) would be the offer I’d throw out there.
https://www.theringer.com/2025/07/03/nba/nba-free-agency-trade-rumors-giannis-antetokounmpo-lebron-james
Really good FA Winners and Losers column by Pina.
The Kings portion:
You know a trade is bad when it makes you check at least three sources before believing it’s actually real. This was Sacramento’s decision to trade Jonas Valanciunas for Dario Saric just so it could then give the full midlevel exception to Dennis Schröder. If this roster holds—please, Vivek Ranadivé, for the sake of my own personal entertainment, leave it alone—it’ll be in the running for the most comical defense in the league.
What the Hawks and Nuggets new FO’s have been able to accomplish this offseason is incredible. Something we’ll never the know as Kangz’ fans.
Yup. Two new GMs and they’ve reshaped their rosters for the positive. Kangz on the other hand…
I thought I just saw a report that Valentina was gonna go overseas. Which I thought was interesting since we just traded him and he still has a year or two left on his contract.
The JV for Saric trade won’t be official until Sunday. If that trade unravels, it will upend the Kuminga sign and trade discussions unless the Kings can find another path!
If JV doesn’t report to Denver, they may just chalk it up to cap space. If Denver kills the deal, then maybe the Kings get the cap space if JV voids his contract? That might be better for the Kings.
Yes. And this attempt at Kuminga wiith all these non shooting vets is a mishmash of crap.
If you want to build young then build young. Can’t thread this needle.
So, to me Kuminga represents this owner meddling. Not allowing Gm to just put it all together a young squad who fit together.
The only things keeping us from continuing to be the biggest laughing stock in the league are Nico Harrison and Joe Dumars.
And if Saric is part of the cost to get Kuminga, the The Ringer can eat shit.
Just reading some Warriors blogs, they think the Dubs are getting Keegan and Carter for Kuminga in a S&T. That may be how far apart this deal really is.
IMO, Dubs fans are basically the least informed fans in all of basketball fandom. Most of ’em didn’t even start watching basketball until 2015 and have no idea who Run-TMC was. Ever since they left Oakland, the new fans became so obnoxious. Not that I have anything against new fans, I just mean that Dubs are mostly made up of bandwagon fans who like the idea of winning more than they like basketball.
Its like the Hasan Minhaj line about some Warriors fans, they’ve been Warriors fans ever since Kobe Retired
Have the Lakers left the NBA?
Sam Vecenie last free agency pod broke it down. It was so they could sign scrotum and because the S&T with Monk fell through.
Do you call Schoder, Ellis, Murray and Clifford comical? I don’t.
OT: Ben Macklemore was just found guilty of rape while playing for Portland. Just more lovely news from an Ex-King.
Isn’t he the guy the Kings took instead of the promise they made to take CJ McCollum?
btw, Wikipedia describes Ben McLemore III this way:
Well, McCollum has aged a ton since then, so in the end, it was the right call.
this made me do a very nice /smh and /snort combo – thanks for your insights.
As I said in the other thread, pertaining to this, and I believe it bears repeating:
How this deal goes down – and here it just happens to be Jonathan Kuminga – will set a tone for this new Front Office. Will GM Scott Perry and Asst GM BJ Armstrong make this deal a reality and bring some hope that a competent front office is in place and can carry through this apparently not so simple contortion OR is this an announced deal that falls by the wayside, leaving the Kings kicked in the shins of hope, standing with their thingy in the dinghy like GM Vlade Divac?
Is it KuKinga/KingMinga a fit? He is a change of the type that we all have been asking for, for the last two seasons. He’s not Tari Eason, or Kyle Kuzma, or John Collins or Jabari Smith, Jr. But, he’s a calculated improvement, he’s available, he’s 22 years old, he’s athletic, he’s long and he fits into a thin frontcourt. Yes, please. It would have been interesting to have Mike Brown’s input here, but he’s in New York headed to Las Vegas next week.
So I don’t get the basics on Kuminga. Never mind how he fits or what it means for Keegan being out of position again. The Kings are over the cap. The outgoing Monk, Saric, and Carter are paid $29 million. Schroeder is signed for $14. That leaves $15 for Kuminga, who thinks he’s worth $30. I’m bad at math, so somebody explain that. Kuminga is signed for one year. The chances he stays here after being a Kang for a year are zero. He would have to sign a multi year contract now. Plus, why does GS want Carter and Saric?
A Sign & Trade can involve multiple RFAs and they allow the acquiring team to exceed the cap. That is why any S&T hard-caps the acquiring team at that salary threshold. This why S&Ts are done last in transactional order when registering moves with the league.
Theoretically, the Kings would be acquiring two Free Agents, one of them being a RFA (Kuminga), in a single Sign & Trade deal. Schroder would get his $45M/3yr and Kuminga would get something like a $90M/4yr (SAC would be signing Kuminga to a new contract, so the one year $7M QO from GSW they offered Kuminga doesn’t come into play for SAC).
Restrictions for Hard-Capped Teams:
Limited exceptions, hard-capped teams cannot utilize certain exceptions, such as the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception, that would push their salary over the hard cap (as it pertains to SAC, the MLE and BAE could still be used, but they need to be completed prior to the completion of the S&T which would then hard-cap SAC going forward). No aggregating contracts in trades, they cannot combine the salaries of multiple players to match the salary of a player they are acquiring in a trade. Restrictions on sending cash, they cannot send cash out in trades. No using previous years’ exceptions, they cannot use any trade exceptions from previous years that would cause them to exceed the hard cap. Restrictions on future draft picks, they cannot trade first-round draft picks that are seven or more years in the future. No re-signing players above a certain amount, hard-capped teams may be limited in how much they can re-sign their own free agents to.I could be wrong about some of the details, but teams can go over the cap in a S&T but they are then hard-capped at that salary level for the rest of the league year so all other moves need to be made before the S&T is completed.
[Edited because I mistakenly listed Schroder as a RFA]
Its all what you can get Kuminga for, just cos he wants 30 mill doesn’t mean he should get it. The Kings roster is flawed with older mismatched pieces, at least he is young and who knows what happens when he gets to be the center piece on his own team. Could go badly or maybe he might figure it out. I’d be curious at the right price
Don’t trade Monk!
Badge Legend