Warriors Balk at Suns’ Best Offer: ‘Not Pretty Enough’

There is no end in sight for the messy Jonathan Kuminga–Golden State Warriors standoff.

Kuminga wants to go, according to Andscape’s senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears. But the Warriors are holding out for a better return package for the former No. 7 pick.

The Warriors have previously rejected the  Sacramento Kings‘ offer of Devin Carter, Dario Saric and a protected first-round pick. The Suns entered the Kuminga sweepstakes, but the Warriors found their offer more underwhelming.

“And then the Suns, I heard, they’re like, offering Royce [O’Neale] and four seconds and Nick Richards,” Spears said on “NBA Today” on July 30. “That’s just not pretty enough.”

The Phoenix Suns only have three second-round picks available to trade, while they do not have control of their first-round picks until 2031.

Warriors’ High Asking Price

The Warriors are looking for an unprotected first-round pick, a rotation player and a young player, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

O’Neale can be considered a quality rotation player, but he has three guaranteed years left on his four-year, $42 million contract. Richards is a serviceable backup center on an expiring salary.

Unless the Suns can rope in a third team that will furnish a first-round pick to the Warriors, they do not stand a chance despite their lucrative offer to Kuminga.

According to Charania and Anthony Slater, the Suns pushed the most lucrative contract to lure Kuminga.

“The most significant negotiations have been with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, getting proposals up to four years approaching $90 million total, including a player option for the final season, sources said. Phoenix has made the most lucrative push via sign-and-trade,” Charania and Slater reported.

The Suns’ proposal was nearly $70 million more guaranteed than the Warriors’ offer, Charania and Slater added.

Jonathan Kuminga Prefers Kings Over Suns

After a Zoom call meeting with the Kings’ general manager Scott Perry, assistant general manager BJ Armstrong and coach Doug Christie, Kuminga was convinced to join them, according to Spears.

“He wants to go [to Sacramento],” Spears reported. “The Kings are offering a starting spot, as the power forward, next to Keegan Murray and [Domantas] Sabonis.”

As Charania previously reported, “those are two things (significant playing time and a starting role) that he wants more than anything.”

The 22-year-old forward firmly believes he’s ready to spread his wings. In the final four games of last season — all losses that ended Golden State’s playoff run — Kuminga averaged 24.3 points on 55.4% shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line.

The Kings’ offer is pleasing to Kuminga’s ears, but not the Warriors.

“He’s in,” Spears said of Kuminga. “He wants to go there, but the Warriors don’t like the first [pick being offered].”

The Kings have full control of their own picks, plus one protected first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves‘ unprotected first-rounder in 2031, which they have received from the De’Aaron Fox trade.

However, the Kings are not inclined to surrender an unprotected first-round pick, as they can sign Kuminga as an unrestricted free agent next summer if the 22-year-old forward takes his qualifying offer.