As the Golden State Warriors entered the offseason, many around the league anticipated that they would attempt to find a viable sign-and-trade in order to retrieve value for restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
Yet, his market has been incredibly limited this summer as a result of numerous factors, and, as Los Angeles Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha points out, the Warriors' in-state rival will likely not be a future trade option either.
Although Kuminga presents a dynamic and developing skill-set, concerns about his fit and questions about his financial expectations have limited his suitors severely, and it looks as though this trend could continue as Golden State attempts to deal a potential short-term contract.
The Lakers will likely not be an option to trade for Jonathan Kuminga
Throughout this offseason, the Warriors have maintained their asking price of an established young talent and an unprotected first-round pick in any Kuminga deal. Unfortunately, none of Kuminga's suitors, at least those that were not scared off by the restrictions of the new CBA, have been willing to meet that price.
The Sacramento Kings sent in two confirmed trade offers, but neither met what the team was looking for as far as talent of the returning assets or value of the draft picks. Moreover, the Phoenix Suns looked to be an appealing destination for Kuminga, but they lacked the requisite trade chips to entice Golden State into negotiations.
Now, Buha has shown how they have almost no chance of getting a deal done with Los Angeles, even if Kuminga returns on a short-term, tradeable deal: "Replacing Lebron [James] with Kuminga... that is interesting, but then you factor in whatever contract he's going to want or potentially get. Then you factor in [the fact that] he's going to want to start and have a certain role or have a certain amount of touches, and I just don't think that that makes a lot of sense."
In the case of the Lakers, Buha's stance is not surprising in the least. Throughout his restricted free agency, Kuminga has expressed his desire to be seen as the cornerstone of a franchise, and, given Los Angeles' obvious attachment to Luka Doncic, it would be difficult for them to give Kuminga the touches he desires.
However, on a larger scale, this presents a significant issue for the Warriors. Kuminga's expectations for both a larger contract and a larger role have severely limited the teams that would be willing to take a flier on his development, consequently leaving Golden State between a rock and a hard place.
Now, they must not only seek out a team that has interest in Kuminga's skill-set but also a team that can both fit them into their starting lineup and give him the runway necessary to fulfill his expectations. Needless to say, this could be a tough, if not impossible, task even if they are able to bring him back on a cost-controlled, short-term deal.