The Golden State Warriors have made it clear through the rumor mill that they're wiling to move mountains to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. The path to doing so, however, is generally unclear and seemingly relies heavily on polarizing forward Jonathan Kuminga and his $22.5 million salary.
Thankfully, multiple reports have emerged in recent days that Antetokounmpo's current team, the Milwaukee Bucks, have expressed some level of interest in acquiring Kuminga.
In the event that the Bucks trade Antetokounmpo to the Warriors, Kuminga will likely play a pivotal role. Milwaukee will likely prioritize youth and upside above all else in the return, and Kuminga is a 23-year-old dynamic scorer with a contract that can facilitate negotiations. Thankfully, Milwaukee appears to be aware of the value he can provide.
Anthony Slater of ESPN fanned the flames of a potential Antetokounmpo trade when he reported that the Bucks had their eye on Kuminga during the 2025 period of free agency.
"But Milwaukee has shown an interest in Kuminga dating to the summer, league sources said, and he would be viewed as an upside swing on a controllable contract as part of the return package."
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report has since corroborated the report with intel of his own that Milwaukee has displayed some level of openness to acquiring Kuminga in the past.
"There's definitely been some level of interest from Milwaukee in Jonathan Kuminga in the past."
That doesn't necessarily guarantee that a trade will be executed, but the Warriors seemingly have an in to potential Antetokounmpo negotiations.
Bucks' interest in Jonathan Kuminga validates Warriors' Giannis dreams
Golden State's financial situation has effectively made Kuminga a necessary inclusion in any potential trade for Antetokounmpo. Jimmy Butler has a matching salary to Antetokounmpo's, but he recently tore his ACL and will turn 37 before the start of the 2026-27 season.
As such, it's unlikely that the Bucks would be willing to give up one of the best players on the planet without confidence in the future impact of the returning package.
Kuminga would certainly help in that regard given his $22.5 million salary and how it can be packaged with other pieces on the roster. One option would be to build the framework of a deal around Butler's matching salary, Kuminga, and productive guard Brandin Podziemski, who makes just under $3.69 million this season and still has a fully guaranteed year left on his rookie-scale contract.
Golden State would then take back Kyle Kuzma's $22.4 million contract and include as many as four first-round draft picks—the latter of which Slater stated in the aforementioned report that the franchise is willing to do.
Jonathan Kuminga has the salary to help make a Giannis trade work
Other paths could be explored, including packaging Kuminga with Draymond Green and his $25.8 million salary. Golden State could then include one of Moses Moody or Podziemski, and perhaps even Will Richard, as well as the four first-round picks Milwaukee will certainly request.
Regardless of how a potential trade manifests, the bottom line remains that Kuminga will be an essential piece of this puzzle.
Despite his turbulent tenure with the Warriors, there's thankfully still reason for Milwaukee to be intrigued by Kuminga's potential. At 23 years of age, he has career averages that translate to 20.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.7 blocks per 36 minutes on 50.3 percent shooting from the field.
If Fischer and Slater's respective reports prove true, then the Bucks appear at least somewhat interested in seeing what Kuminga can offer in an environment that favors him.