The Golden State Warriors have left themselves with no other choice. They must deal Jonathan Kuminga in the next three weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
Kuminga's representation made that crystal clear with his formal trade request on Thursday morning.
Yet the central question remains. What can the Warriors, who are in desperate need of additional help for their roster, retrieve for Kuminga at this point in his saga?
While the market has not entirely crystallized yet, the immediate answer is somewhat disturbing.
Not much.
Jonathan Kuminga's trade value is likely the lowest it's ever been
Kuminga trade rumors have floated around Golden State on a near-constant basis over the last two years. The Warriors have consistently held onto hope they would eventually be able to trade him for either significant rotational help or future draft capital.
This past offseason, the Warriors had an opportunity to move on from Kuminga in a sign-and-trade, with concrete offers coming in from the Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns. Neither provided the rotational pieces or the multiple first-round picks that Golden State was seeking.
Instead, they ultimately brought him back on a two-year, $47 million deal with a club option in the hopes that a team-friendly contract would make him easier to trade.
His benching has, perhaps, put a damper on that plan. Kuminga has played just nine minutes since Dec. 7th. Although teams have outwardly said this development does not impact how they see Kuminga's value, there is no denying the absolute lack of leverage the Warriors currently have.
His trade request doesn't help their cause, either.
Many of the suitors who were rumored in connection to Kuminga this past summer, including the Kings, the Suns, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Washington Wizards, and the Chicago Bulls, are either no longer in a position to make a trade or no longer have assets the Warriors truly need.
As of now, there is not a robust market for Kuminga.
Their most obvious path is to route Kuminga to a third team in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for Michael Porter Jr. But, for that to happen, there needs to be a third team that is interested.
The NBA trade market moves quickly, and a potential deal could emerge with the blink of an eye.
However, the entire NBA now knows Golden State needs to move Kuminga. His trade request represented the final nail in the coffin. If there are limited suitors, the Warriors could have a difficult time truly retrieving anything of value.
This would, without a doubt, be a disappointing end to the Kuminga saga.