The Golden State Warriors are running out of options on the Jonathan Kuminga front. Kuminga reportedly declined a two-year contract offer worth $45 million due in large part to the inclusion of a team option for the second season, and is seemingly prioritizing a future with a different team.
The Sacramento Kings are one of the last lifelines the Warriors have on the sign-and-trade front, but there's one player who appears to be a sticking point in negotiations: Keon Ellis.
The harsh reality of the Kuminga situation is that the Warriors have backed themselves into a corner. They've publicly labeled the 22-year-old as a poor fit with the current core and struggled to give him the playing time that would imply they value his presence.
According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, Kuminga is interested in moving on and playing for the Sacramento Kings, but the Warriors have rebuffed their rival's offer.
"[Kuminga] likes the opportunity the Kings have presented, but the Warriors seem unwilling to accept a package featuring Devin Carter, Dario Saric and draft compensation, which could [include] a protected first-round pick or multiple second-round picks."
It's an intriguing package to consider, but Anderson notes that the two players Golden State is most likely to be interested in, Keon Ellis and Keegan Murray, are off limits.
"The Warriors would probably be quick to pull the trigger on a deal involving Keegan Murray or Keon Ellis. However, a source with knowledge of trade conversations told The Sacramento Bee that Murray and Ellis have not been discussed and both are considered off limits in talks for Kuminga."
Sacramento is well within its rights to proceed in this manner, but if they want Kuminga, the Warriors must ensure it's Ellis or bust.
Warriors must receive Keon Ellis in any Kuminga-to-the-Kings deal
Completing a sign-and-trade that centers around Kuminga is logistically complex. Sacramento is reportedly offering Kuminga a salary in the range of $90 million over four seasons, and a combination of Carter and Saric would still require the introduction of another financial element to make the deal work.
In the event that the Kings and Warriors can coordinate a trade that's built around Ellis and Kuminga, however, it's a deal Golden State should seriously consider.
The cap space created by this deal is reason enough to be intrigued by what could transpire moving forward. Saric has an expiring salary worth $5,426,400 for the 2025-26 season, and both Carter and Ellis are on rookie-scale deals—although it's unlikely Sacramento would include both guards.
In both short and long-term scenarios, that could enable the Warriors to operate more freely in their attempts to maximize the next two seasons of the Stephen Curry era.
In 2025, a trade of this nature would allow the Warriors to remain active on the free agency front—primarily in their efforts to sign Al Horford. They could also angle to maintain the flexibility to add another veteran without incurring the wrath of the second apron.
For as intriguing as that all may be, the true appeal here is the opportunity to add Ellis—a 3-and-D wing who could instantly make an impact on a contending team.
Keon Ellis is the 3-and-D wing the Warriors have been dreaming of
An undrafted free agent in 2022, Ellis has quietly emerged as one of the best young 3-and-D wings in the NBA. He's both tenacious and intelligent on the defensive end of the floor, often putting himself in the perfect position to make crucial plays against isolation scorers and off-ball shooters.
For a Warriors team that lacks a definitive lockdown perimeter defender beyond 35-year-old Jimmy Butler, adding Ellis would make the regular season significantly easier to navigate.
On the other end of the floor, Ellis is a career 42.9 percent shooter from beyond the arc. He shot 43.3 percent on 263 catch-and-shoot threes and 40.0 percent on 55 pull-up attempts from beyond the arc—clear reflections of his elite proficiency as a shooter.
Overall, Ellis averaged 8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.7 three-point field goals made in just 24.4 minutes per game, shooting the lights out at a clip of .489/.433/.849.
It's thus understandable for the Kings to be reluctant to trade him. In saying that, they're attempting to sign a player in Kuminga whom they value in the range of $90 million—and have a crowded backcourt already with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Dennis Schröder.
The Kings appear reluctant to part with Ellis, but if they want Kuminga, the Warriors can't budge on including the 3-and-D specialist in potential negotiations.