Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly open-minded to the idea of joining the Sacramento Kings as the uncertain future of the Golden State Warriors forward continues on further.
ESPN reported on Thursday that Kuminga is in no rush to sign a deal with the Warriors, leaving the door open for the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns to continue exploring sign-and-trade opportunities.
The Warriors still have the leverage of Kuminga being a restricted free agent and have thus far balked at offers from both teams, yet that could change if the Kings were to give in on an obvious trade demand.
The Warriors must get Keegan Murray or Keon Ellis back from the Kings
Sacramento is once again at the forefront of discussions when it comes to Kuminga's next potential destination, with ESPN's Anthony Slater stating on Friday that the 22-year-old has been in conversation with their front office and head coach Doug Christie.
"Kuminga had contact with the Kings in the last couple of days," Slater said. "It was the first time he met Scott Perry, and this wasn't in person, but it's the first time he's communicated with Scott Perry, Doug Christie and B.J. Armstrong. And from what I've gathered, he liked the pitch that Scott Perry gave. He's open-minded to the idea of Sacramento."
.@anthonyVslater joined The Insiders and mentioned that Jonathan Kuminga had contact with the Kings in the last couple days and is open-minded to the idea of Sacramento⬇️ pic.twitter.com/M5w8nGDfNb
— ESPN 1320 Sacramento (@ESPN1320) July 25, 2025
The Kings previously offered up Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second-round picks for Kuminga, to which the Warriors rejected rather quickly. Golden State have to be resolute in their demands -- Keegan Murray or Keon Ellis have to be involved, or there's no way a sign-and-trade gets done.
Murray and Ellis are evidently Sacramento's two most valuable players that are also realistic from a contractual standpoint in a sign-and-trade. In fact, Ellis' measly $2.3 million deal would require one or two more players to be included in order to match salary.
Murray has been the absolute dream target for Warrior fans, but there's no indication that his inclusion in a Kuminga sign-and-trade would be at all possible. Ellis is a little more realistic though, even if there's great debate among Kings fans on whether they should actually be willing to relinquish the 25-year-old in a Kuminga deal.
It would be interesting to see how much Golden State actually value Ellis, particularly given they're expected to bring in De'Anthony Melton as a veteran 3-and-D guard in free agency. Ellis has made his name as one of the best young perimeter defenders in the league, while also shooting a career 42.9% from 3-point range including 43.3% on four attempts per game last season.
Adding one of Murray or Ellis has to be a non-negotiable for the Warriors, otherwise they should continue their pursuit to bring the former seventh overall pick back on a new contract themselves.