Every season there’s at least one rumor involving the Kings that never seems to go away. This year, that rumor is Jonathan Kuminga, who becomes trade eligible on January 15th.
According to a recent NBC Sports Bay Area report, the Warriors still haven’t found much of a trade market for Kuminga. In fact, according to reporter Monte Poole, the Kings are the only NBA team that has shown a serious interest in acquiring Kuminga, with interest dating back to the offseason as the Kings attempted to acquire him in a sign-and-trade. At the time the Warriors weren’t interested in what the Kings were selling, but now that Kuminga clearly seems to be out of the rotation and the Warriors not as competitive as they had hoped, maybe Sacramento’s trade package looks more appealing.
From a Kings perspective, the Kuminga appeal is obvious. The Kings could absolutely use another athletic wing with size, defensive upside, and some transition juice. Those players are expensive when they’re fully formed, so the idea of getting one before the breakout is naturally enticing. Kuminga checks a lot of theoretical boxes. He’s young. He’s got the size to defend multiple positions (ability and effort maybe not so much just yet). He can run the floor. And when he’s actually getting minutes, he’s shown flashes of being a solid contributor, especially on offense.
Sacramento’s supposed offer in the offseason was reportedly Malik Monk and a protected first round pick. Now, according to Sam Amick’s latest report, while the Kings still have a ton of interest, that 2030 pick is off the table. That makes sense given that the Warriors have now lost quite a bit of leverage in the matter thanks to the clear friction between both Kuminga and the Warriors. However, Amick once again notes that the Warriors don’t view the Kings veterans as appealing options either, so a third team may have to be involved for any deal to get done. Or perhaps the Kings would now be willing to include Keon Ellis in a deal as a sweetener. Scott Perry has publicly said that he’s a big Keon Ellis fan, but Ellis hasn’t had a consistent role this season either, and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason if an extension isn’t done before the end of the season.
The Warriors say they’re willing to hold onto Kuminga past the February 5th deadline, but I think that’s all just a front to avoid giving up what little leverage they have. Both sides clearly want to move on, and now it’s simply a matter of finding a deal for both teams that makes sense. Maybe the two teams talk again when they face off tonight.
Death, taxes, and Kuminga.
If the Kings do trade for Kuminga and don’t find suitors for Zach or DeMar, then who comes off the bench? Zach, DeMar, Keegan, and Kuminga…one gets a bench role.
I just want it all to be over. Trade for the dude, or just move on.
Should absolutely be demar in that scenario.
The ‘need’ for a true pg is so freaking overrated on this team it’s crazy. Roll out Keon/Lavine/Murray/Kuminga/Sabonis and watch what happens when you put a balanced lineup on the floor.
Seriously! Who are the “true pgs” in the league anymore? Trae, Tyrese, Jrue maybe…
When was the last true PG to win a title? I guess Boston and Milwaukee with Jrue, but I’m not even sure he’s a true PG. More of a guard defender and brings it up and pass it to JT or JB. Before that VanVleet with Toronto I guess.
exactly, I get so sick of the true pg talk. do we really think a keon/lavine/murra/kuminga/sabonis lineup can’t get the ball across half court? Especially in a league that barely pressures the ball in the back court lol.
Once you are there, you run motions and handoffs all the time, wtf cares if a “pg” gives the first handoff.
Yes. There no ball handlers in that lineup, and Kuminga doesn’t even push this team to 30 wins.
If this is who Perry believes is a (part of) the solution to his problems, I have 6 pillars to sell him.
But Shams tweeted that Morant is available, so probably Vivek is telling Perry right now to put Kuminga on the back burner.
By the way, I think Domas and JJJ could be a good frontline.
Yeah, but do they want Domas given that they have JJJ and Edey?
No, but I still wanted to make that point.
I already don’t trust Perry. Of course he’s the only one looking to trade for Kuminga. Who the fuck needs a non-shooter selfish ball player that nobody else wants.
He already picked one up in Westbrook.
Unfortunately, this does not bode well for the future. Just more idiomatic people working for the kings. Fuck this move and fuck Perry amd Vivek.
In theory Kuminga should be they type player we should be looking for.
My problem with him is he should be providing what the Thompson Twins provide. He does not. If he was providing that there is no way GSW would be looking to trade him let alone letting him rot on the bench.
Send out NO draft capital and I’d prefer no Keon. Use him to help move one of the larger bad contracts if he won’t extend with us.
Ah, the Thompson Twins
Having Kuminga as part of the reset or rebuild or whatever they want to call it does fit the strategy. He’ll be the rest of this season and next season contract, so he is fairly low risk, even at his 20+M/season contract (the team option is the third season). He is a Warrior, so Vivek approves.
DDR for Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis is a perfect ($24.7M) match. Not sayin’ just sayin’
TJD is only 6’9″ (Precious Achiuwa sized), so he’s another undersized 5 but he’s young and serviceable and seems a decent good decision maker, despite his limitations (just ok defender, good shot blocker, good rebounder, 25 years old. 7 ppg, 5 rpg career. Team option next season)
this team should have ZERO tweeners going forward unless they are tweeners because they are too big (ala durant being a SF)
I’m good with Kuminga as long as it doesn’t cost picks or youngsters. It’s mostly low risk otherwise.
I also find the fact that Kuminga and Monk are both basically benched interesting. Conspiracy theory here by maybe that’s on purpose so they’re both healthy come Jan 15th….
And I really like the Kuminga idea because it all but eliminates they likelihood of Kuzma becoming a King……
Now you’ve done it…
Lol, Kings are getting both.
Monk to Nets.
Porter to Warriors
Kuminga to Kings.
Porter makes too much.
Monk and Horford to Nets
Claxton to Dubs
Kuminga to Kings
Works FWIW
Well he’s certainly not going to gain the ability and effort in Basketball Hell. The fact that no other team has any interest in him should ring alarm bells but this FO never really learns anything. The “rebuild” will really end up just being finding new ways to wallow in mediocrity.
Westbrook’d.
I haven’t been here in a while, but is Monk not playing because he doesn’t play D? He can certainly score, and he’s a favorite here in Sac. I think there are better trade options than trading Malik (which means King in Arabic, in case you didn’t know).
BTW, no one else plays D either.
but monk doesn’t have nudie pics of vivek as leverage
Should this give the front office notice that they are the only team interested in him.
I can still see the Kings knowing this still overpaying to get him
Why wouldn’t the Warriors want DDR as a piece in this deal, as his deal next year can be declined or bought out and they want cap space for the year following, which is why I understand they don’t want Monk?
probably end up accepting that and a 2nd ultimately
This. The guy is below average, like Keegan. Chasing him around for months is pointless. He’ll add just enough wins to push the Kings out of range of a star in the draft.
The Kings need to stay in the top 2 or 3 of the draft to have any hope of a franchise altering player, and yet there’s still no guarantee they can even pull that off.
As long as we’re not pursuing another Vivek man crush player with roster fit/need issues (see DDR, Zach etc.), then Kuminga is whatever, as long as no draft picks are included in any deal.
yeah buddy coming over soon
Only one team wanted Russ, only one team was willing to trade for LaVine, only one team was willing to give DDR the contract he got. How’s that going for the Kings.
Red Flags, my friends, red flags!
You are the ONE, Neo.
Well, Kings have a pretty arena and pretty uniforms, a great fan base and Vivek is like that Simp that will ignore all the red flags because he can fix her
Only one team was willing to give Dennis Schröder the contract he got.
Yup!
Schroder’d. Bagley’d.
The kings (don’t deserve a capital) only have one problem. They have an owner that refuses to let them suck, to just keep his hands off things, and truly suck tank for some picks. Instead we always want some useless player like Kuminga to try and make us a tiny bit better when we could just accept that we suck and deal with it for a few years. What a joke.
I wonder if the new SF Giants investor, Richard Chaifetz, could be recruited to buy out the Ranadive group. A decade ago he was reported to have been interested in buying the Milwaukee Bucks.
As Akis said, the Dubs really have no interest in the Kings vets, which brings me back to the third cousin’s, best friend, who once share an Uber with a Dubs employee rumor I heard that the trade is:
Dubs Nic Claxton
Kings: Kuminga
Nets: contract filler (Monk, Buddy?) and draft capital.
Kings are fucked if this is true.
Who do you trust more — Ranadive or Steve Kerr? I rest my case.
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