Keon Ellis is the current buzz name doing the rounds on social media in regards to a potential sign-and-trade for Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, with plenty of debate among Sacramento Kings fans on whether the front office should be willing to part ways with the young guard.
There's a chance that the Kings will hold Ellis completely off-limits in any sign-and-trade possibility, but even if they were willing to put him on the table, what's to say the Warriors will be interested enough to accept a move?
De'Anthony Melton signing could impact Warriors' interest in Keon Ellis
In a normal scenario Golden State may be really happy to get someone of Ellis' calibre in a sign-and-trade situation, particularly given Kuminga has made it clear he would prefer a new home having thus far resisted contract offers from Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office.
Ellis may be off broadway given the underwhelming and messy situation in Sacramento, but he's nonetheless developed into an elite perimeter defender who's also shot 42.9% from 3-point range over his three-year career.
However, this isn't a normal scenario given the Warriors are expected to sign De'Anthony Melton in free agency once the Kuminga situation is resolved. Melton does come with injury risk, but he's only two years older than Ellis and is already a proven fit within the Golden State system.
Imagine if the Warriors finesse Keon Ellis from the Kings for Kuminga and then poor Melton sees his handshake deal fall apart.
— Dr. Artocarpus (@DrArtocarpus) July 26, 2025
You could certainly have Melton and Ellis on the same roster, but adding in current guards like Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield provides some level of overkill when it comes to shooting guard options next to Stephen Curry in the back court.
It's therefore conceivable that the expected signing of Melton may cause Golden State not to value Ellis in a way that many around the league otherwise would. That's not to say that they would completely reject a Kuminga-for-Ellis swap, but the impact of Melton's arrival is at least worthy of discussion when it comes to the 25-year-old's value specifically to the Warriors.
The other complicated aspect to this is Ellis' contract and the fact the Kings chose to pick up his $2.3 million player option for next season. If Golden State were to trade for him right now, they'd have to be confident of extending him once eligible rather than letting him walk as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Needless to say the Warriors won't want to trade Kuminga for just one year of Ellis, but they might have to stump up $15-20 million per season in order to avoid that. How will that factor into things if Melton has a bounce-back season and wants a new deal, along with Podziemski being extension eligible next year.
All of this is a moot point until such time the Kings actually make Ellis available in a sign-and-trade, yet they may have to eventually make that decision if they're truly intent on acquiring Kuminga.