Head coach Steve Kerr recently talked about why Jonathan Kuminga will remain out of the rotation. Essentially, he's done with the Warriors until they can trade him. Now, it's up to the Sacramento Kings to decide if the trade fits into their larger rebuild strategy and who they're willing to give up.
Translation: We are actively working with several teams on possible trades and will keep him out of the rotation until he becomes trade eligible. https://t.co/HfArKVtitA
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) December 30, 2025
If you're going to give Brett Siegel over at ClutchPoints credit for something, his ability to parse Steve Kerr's doublespeak on Kuminga is right on the money. Kerr basically said that the Warriors are done with Kuminga and have moved on without actually saying those specific words.
While the trade season for most players began on December 15, contracts like Kuminga's have a January 15 trade-eligible date. That's just a couple of weeks away at this, and the Warriors are probably looking forward to getting rid of him, particularly Steve Kerr, who has no interest in him.
Golden State re-signed Kuminga to avoid a one-year qualifying offer that included a no-trade clause. The two-year contract he ended up signing removed that clause. Ultimately, all the Warriors really cared about was buying time to negotiate the best possible trade, and that might be with the Kings.
Kings might be ready to jump onto the Kuminga train
Since the offseason trade rumors, there have been questions about how Kuminga would fit into the Kings. The young forward has shown greatly improved playmaking skills and on-court IQ, as well as being a versatile defender, a voracious rebounder, and a legitimate three-point threat.
On the Kings, Kuminga likely becomes a starter quite quickly alongside Keegan Murray. At the very least, he ends up in a regular rotation spot alongside other young players and in a position to play a major part in the rebuild of the franchise. It's a bigger role for the star.
The Warriors are most likely interested in Keon Ellis and Devin Carter to be part of their own upcoming post-Curry rebuild. At the same time, they could really use Domantas Sabonis. His scoring and rebounding would fit what the Warriors are doing now and into the future well.
Much like Ellis, there will be a lot of teams that want to look at Kuminga. The Warriors are likely expecting strong interest once the trade window opens in a couple of weeks. However it plays out, hopefully he can find a roster spot on a team that actually values him and puts him to work.