The future of Jonathan Kuminga in a Warriors uniform is anything but certain. The former No. 7 overall pick and the Warriors failed to agree to a contract extension ahead of the October 21 deadline, meaning Kuminga will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.
Kuminga is also the most coveted asset the Warriors could use in a trade to acquire a co-star for Stephen Curry, the team’s aging superstar. As such, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes made a case for the Nets — a team on a complete rebuild — to acquire a 22-year-old blossoming star such as Kuminga to build around. In an article titled “Dream and Realistic Trade Targets,” Hughes named Kuminga as Brooklyn’s “Dream” target.
“Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors were far apart on extension negotiations, and while it’s too early to say there’s enough bad blood there to trigger a breakup, this is a situation the Brooklyn Nets need to monitor,” Hughes wrote on November 4. “Sure, the Warriors have match rights if Kuminga finishes the season with them and heads into restricted free agency, but it’s possible there’s a fracture large enough in the relationship to make an in-season trade the cleanest solution.
“An elite athlete who could develop into an All-Star, the 22-year-old could immediately become a cornerstone in Brooklyn.”
What Could the Warriors Want From Nets?
Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson could be interesting additions to the Warriors roster. Johnson began the 2024-25 season averaging a career-high 16.6 points while anchoring Brooklyn’s perimeter defense, and veteran 3-and-D wing Finney-Smith was his usual steady self on both ends of the floor. In large part due to Johnson and Finney-Smith, the Nets were a .500 team after the first eight games, an unexpected outcome for a team forecasted to win less than 20 games before the start of the season.
A career .394 shooter from three with the ability to shoot off the bounce, Johnson would be a seamless fit in Steve Kerr’s system, even more so than Finney’Smith.
The Warriors could also covet some of the first-round picks from the Nets’ chest of draft assets. The Nets own the Knicks’ 2025 first-rounder, the Bucks’ 2025 first-rounder (1-4 protected) and their own pick, besides a slew of picks owed to them from the Sixers and Knicks as part of the James Harden and Mikal Bridges trades, respectively.
Kuminga Could Turn the Tide
As of November 5, the Warriors were 6-1, their best start to a season since the 2021-212 campaign which ended with them winning an NBA title.
At the seven-game mark, Kuminga was averaging 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists from 23.7 minutes per game. The athletic wing’s numbers were down across the board from the 2023-24 season, but in large part due to head coach Steve Kerr’s insistence to play a 12- or 13-man rotation. Kuminga also saw a change in role after starting the season as a starter before going to the bench by the fourth game.
Yet, Kuminga had shown flashes of a potential star that he also flashed in the 2023-24 season. If the Warriors were to make a serious run at a title, or even finish a top-four seed in the daunting Western Conference, Kuminga might have secured his long-term future in the Bay Area.
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. told reporters on October 22 that Kuminga was motivated to have a great season after the breakdown in contract talks.
Mike Dunleavy explains where Jonathan Kuminga's Warriors future stands after not reaching a deal before yesterday's deadline pic.twitter.com/M7vD5unjfu
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 22, 2024
Mike Dunleavy explains where Jonathan Kuminga’s Warriors future stands after not reaching a deal before yesterday’s deadline
Kuminga himself said that he was “not concerned” about the contract situation.
“I’m not really concerned about it,” he told The Athletic on October 23. “I’m just concerned about coming out here and performing every other day. I ain’t really thinking about that. The time came and nothing happened. So I’m not very concerned about it much anymore. I can just be me and not think about it. I’ve been through so much. A lot of people don’t know me, don’t know what I’ve been through. There’s not too many things that can break me.”
