NBA restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga wants to leave the Golden State Warriors for the Sacramento Kings, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Kuminga has spoken with Kings general manager Scott Perry, assistant general manager BJ Armstrong and head coach Doug Christie.
“He wants to go,” Spears said. “He wants to go. And the Kings are offering a starting spot, power forward next to Keegan Murray, next to (Domantas) Sabonis. He’s talked on a Zoom call with Scott Perry, the GM, BJ Armstrong, the assistant GM, and also with their head coach. So he’s in. He wants to go there.”
The Kings offered a conditional first-round pick to the Warriors for Kuminga. Golden State wants an unprotected first-round pick for the forward.
Sacramento missed the playoffs last season. De’Aaron Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in February. The Kings acquired Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls in the Fox trade, which was a three-team deal.
Kuminga wants to leave the Warriors. He doesn’t have a good relationship with head coach Steve Kerr.
A Goma native, Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Warriors last season in 47 games. He shot 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from 3 and 66.8% from the free-throw line.
The 22-year-old Kuminga was the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He enters next season with career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists with the Warriors.
The Kings and Phoenix Suns are interested in Kuminga, but they can’t sign the swingman to an offer sheet because they don’t have the cap space to do it.
The only way Kuminga can leave the Warriors is if the franchise agrees to a sign-and-trade deal.
Golden State wants to re-sign Kuminga. The front office recently offered the NBA champion a two-year, $45 million contract.
Kuminga, though, declined the offer because the contract had a team option in Year 2 and there was no built-in no-trade clause.
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