Golden State Warriors fans know they’ll have Stephen Curry back for the 2025-26 season, are almost certainly going to see Jimmy Butler taking the court alongside him and are still likely to have Draymond Green suiting up for them, for better or for worse.
Beyond that, there’s much uncertainty surrounding head coach Steve Kerr’s roster as the summer approaches.
One of the most intriguing players that basketball experts in the Bay Area have been analyzing for months is 22-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga, who, at times during his first four seasons has looked like a no-doubt starter, ready to help lead the franchise after Curry eventually retires, and in other instances, appears to be on the way out of the organization.
Kuminga is coming off one of his worst seasons, where his numbers dropped in nearly every category from a breakout 2023-24 campaign. Kuminga finished third on the team in scoring (16.1 points per game) and with career best shooting numbers from the field (.529) and charity stripe (.746) across 74 games (46 starts) two seasons ago.
The 2021 seventh overall pick averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 2024-25 but was limited to a career-low 47 contests and 10 starts due to an ankle injury in 2024-25, however. He posted a career-worst .454 field goal percentage and .305 three-point field goal percentage and things got so bad that Kuminga was even benched for parts of the playoffs, appearing in eight of the team’s 12 postseason contests.
Now, trade rumors have been flying around the Congolese youngster and on Thursday, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus crafted a three-team sign-and-trade proposal that sends Kuminga to the Chicago Bulls.
The Full Trade Breakdown
Here’s the trade idea that Pincus presented, which also includes the Charlotte Hornets:
– Bulls receive: Jonathan Kuminga (from Warriors)
– Hornets receive: Jevon Carter (from Bulls), Moses Moody (from Warriors)
– Warriors receive: Jalen Smith (from Bulls), Josh Okogie (from Hornets), Lonzo Ball (from Bulls), 2026 Portland Trail Blazers protected first-round pick (from Bulls), 2029 second-round pick (from Hornets), 2029 Denver Nuggets second-round pick (from Hornets), 2031 second-round pick (from Hornets), 2031 Phoenix Suns second-round pick (from Hornets)
This isn’t the first time that the Bulls have been connected to Kuminga.
Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto reported on June 16 that Chicago was one of the two teams that could potentially acquire Kuminga via sign-and-trade this offseason, along with the Miami Heat.
Additionally, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey came up with a two-for-one deal in early June that also sent Kuminga to the Windy City and Lonzo Ball to the Warriors.
Kuminga is set to ink a lucrative contract extension this summer, which could still come with Golden State.
Ball is ‘Incredible Fit Alongside the Warriors’ Stars’
Pincus detailed why Kuminga’s possible move to Chicago and Ball joining Curry and company would work.
“On the premise that the Warriors can’t functionally afford Kuminga without sacrificing depth, filling out the rest of the roster with minimum players and/or getting hit by second-apron penalties like frozen draft picks, the question becomes ‘where’ more than ‘why.’ While Kuminga is talented, not many teams have the means to acquire a player via sign-and-trade. Higher-spending teams can’t, and rebuilding teams would be hesitant to make that kind of outlay,” he wrote. “If Chicago is the team willing to step up, it’s a question of the return. If the Warriors send out Kuminga just above $30 million, they only get credit for sending out half of that in trade ($15 million). The inclusion of Moody has more to do with avoiding aprons, retaining depth and choosing players from whom the coach got more in the playoffs (Hield, Payton, etc.). Ball has struggled to stay healthy but is an incredible fit alongside the Warriors’ stars. He plays defense, moves the ball and can catch-and-shoot. The team could also use an athletic big in Smith, who didn’t fit in with Chicago. A year prior, Smith shot 42.4 percent from three-point range for the Indiana Pacers. He has good size (6’10”) but is mobile at 215 pounds. Okogie is still young (turning 27 before the season) and is a smart, experienced wing defender.”
While health has long been an issue for Ball across his eight years in the NBA, he showed this past season that he can still be productive when on the court.
The 2017 second overall draft pick missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns due to chronic knee issues before finally returning to the hardwood for 35 games (14 starts) last October. When Ball finally took the court for the Bulls’ regular-season opener, more than 1,000 days had passed since his last NBA appearance.
He finished the season averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 22.2 minutes per contest with a .366/.344/.815 shooting line.
