Jonathan Kuminga's value is at an all-time low, which certainly isn't the position the Golden State Warriors wanted to be in when they re-signed him to a two-year, $48.5 million deal over the summer. Their hopes of acquiring a key player in a trade for the 23-year-old forward have vanished, yet another reminder that a deal should've happened before now.
He'll be eligible to be traded on Jan. 15. Kuminga has had that date circled on his calendar since the offseason, counting down the days until he will be free to join a new team. Maybe he literally isn't counting down the days (he might be!), but the expectation has been that the Warriors would trade him between that date and the Feb. 5 deadline.
Let's rephrase that: Golden State needs to trade him, though it won't be the return it hoped for. There was a time when the Warriors thought Kuminga could be used in a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. So much for that.
The Jonathan Kuminga-Warriors saga needs to come to an end
It's past time to put the Kuminga trade rumors to rest, so the front office needs to take what it can get. Waiting until the offseason to move him — a possibility that has floated around — would tank his value even more. He has a $24.3 million team option for next season, so the second half of 2025-26 could serve as his audition for his next team. At least, that's what needs to happen.
If only Kuminga had been eligible to be traded at the beginning of the season when he was in the starting lineup and playing well. Since then, he's dropped off. Kuminga hasn't played in a game since Dec. 18, watching from the sideline. He might already have his bags packed, preparing for Thursday, hoping that he won't stick around in the Bay for the rest of the season.
Golden State doesn't have the list of suitors it wants for Kuminga. It can't cash him in as part of a larger move for a star. The days when that might've been a possibility are long gone. The most realistic move is betting on a team like the Kings, which is still interested in the forward, to swoop in and end a chapter that has rambled on for too long.
The return won't be enough to move the needle for the Warriors as they hope to make another championship run with Steph Curry and Draymond Green. There won't be another trade like the Jimmy Butler one. Getting something is better than nothing, though. Kuminga's value isn't getting any higher; in fact, it's dropping.