As the Golden State Warriors have attempted to find a resolution to their Jonathan Kuminga saga this offseason, the Sacramento Kings have re-emerged as the strongest suitors to facilitate a sign-and-trade for the dynamic young forward.
Yet, apart from the Kings, the market has cooled to such an extent that, if the Kings were to pull out of trade talks, the Warriors would be stuck bringing Kuminga back for next season: a potentially disastrous situation.
Although it recently seemed likely that Kuminga would return on a short-term, tradeable deal, the situation is up in the air yet again, and Golden State is now dependent upon their rival to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
Warriors could be stuck in a disastrous scenario if Kings back out of trade talks
Initially, as the offseason began, numerous suitors emerged for a potential Kuminga sign-and-trade, making available a plethora of promising returns for the Warriors.
Yet, as the market on restricted free agents has cooled this offseason, it seems as though Sacramento remains as the only serious suitor for Kuminga's services.
While their most recent trade offer of Malik Monk and an unprotected 2030 first-round pick seems to provide promise for fruitful negotiations on Golden State's end, the team's trade flexibility is limited by the fact that Kuminga's salary would only count for half in a potential sign-and-trade.
Moreover, although the Kings seem intent on bringing in another young scorer to their rotation, the sheer number of score-first players on their roster could cause them to eventually take pause as the price for Kuminga evidently becomes steeper.
Therefore, while bringing Kuminga back to The Bay would allow the Warriors to fetch a higher price for him at the trade deadline, they could be incentivized to do it as quickly as possible this offseason.
Kuminga's fit on Golden State's roster as it currently stands remains questionable. Although he flashed his scoring potential yet again in the absence of Stephen Curry in the playoffs last season, he would certainly be slated for a bench role yet again, likely causing additional strife between him and the coaching staff.
If the team is looking to maximize his value, they will need to give him significant minutes before he is traded: a fact that could be a recipe for disaster.
Therefore, it is in the Warriors' best interest to get a deal done with Sacramento this offseason. However, if the Kings were to back out only to re-emerge at the trade deadline, they could certainly screw Golden State over in the process.