As the Golden State Warriors have come to an impasse with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, they have begun dissuading potential sign-and-trade suitors as an apparent reflection of their desire to retain him and then trade him at his full financial value next season.
Moreover, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Sacramento Kings remain the strongest suitor for Kuminga, and, given their clear interest in him as a potential cornerstone of their franchise, the Warriors could certainly still pull off a massive return despite Kuminga's downward trajectory on the open market.
Although it remains to be seen what type of contractual resolution Golden State will find with Kuminga, it will almost certainly be a relatively easily tradeable deal: a fact that could enable the team's gamble to pay off excellently next season.
The Kings are still holding out hope to acquire Jonathan Kuminga
As the offseason opened, it became clear that Sacramento was the only serious suitor in a potential sign-and-trade for Kuminga. While various teams, including the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, also were stated to have interest, none had the financial flexibility or the assets to pull a deal off in the first place.
Talks with the Kings, however, were stalled as a result of the Warriors' hesitancy to send out Moses Moody or Buddy Hield as matching salary: a move that would have been necessitated by the base-year compensation rules involved in a sign-and-trade.
Now, however, Amick has reported that Sacramento is holding out hope for a Kuminga deal, writing "The Sacramento Kings, who have been the most serious suitors in sign-and-trade scenarios, have been resisting the urge to make other, smaller moves all summer long because the Kuminga pursuit was a bigger priority."
While Sacramento has made some surprising moves this offseason, including a sign-and-trade for former Warrior Dennis Schroder, it appears as though they are still extremely interested in making a run for Kuminga when he eventually becomes available again.
In their two concretely reported trade offers, the Kings offered a package of Dario Saric, Devin Carter and two second round picks as well a package of Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick.
While neither of these returns were enough to entice Golden State to pull the trigger, their enduring interest should be an encouraging sign. Sacramento has multiple young assets, and, given the current trajectory of their organization, their future first-round picks should hold significant value moving forward.
Therefore, if Kuminga is able to rehabilitate his trade value next season, the Kings serious interest could prove to be capable of providing the Warriors with an excellent return in a potential sweepstakes for the young forward.