The Sacramento Kings had been dancing around trading for Jonathan Kuminga for a while. That didn't end up happening, in large part due to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Warriors losing out on Giannis caused them to trade Kuminga to the Hawks for Porzingis, leaving the Kings out in the cold.
Sacramento's hunt to get Kuminga on the team kicked into high gear during the 2025 offseason. Golden State couldn't come to terms with him. To avoid a qualifying deal scenario, their front office tossed a lot of money at him and got Kuminga to stay.
Despite that, it was generally believed that the saga wasn't quite over yet. The problems between Kuminga and head coach Steve Kerr persisted, leading to Jonathan asking for a trade. Just before the trade deadline, Kuminga and Buddy Hield headed for Atlanta while Porzingis became a Warrior.
Giannis blows up the trade market
That's what ended up happening, at least. What the Warriors were initially working on was a trade for Giannis. The Bucks said they were open to offers, and Golden State put an offer together. Several teams did, putting a variety of trades on hold while they tried to build packages to get him.
As the deadline closed in, it became apparent that the Bucks were not serious about moving Giannis nor making any significant trades to support him. That's when the Warriors went to their backup plan to get a new big man and pulled off the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Being that Kuminga was part of that trade, it finally ended the Kings' pursuit of him. That's assuming the Hawks hold on to Jonathan and don't end up trading him to Sacramento for DeMar DeRozan in the offseason or at another point down the road.
The Kings lost out because the Bucks played around
While there are no guarantees, the Warriors pausing negotiations to chase Giannis was likely the end of their Kuminga conversations with Sacramento. It's not just that he ended up going to the Hawks, either. Kuminga likely would have ended up in Milwaukee if the Giannis trade had worked out.
The Bucks saying they were open of Giannis offers set off a chain of events that ended with the Kings losing out on Kuminga. That being said, the Kings trading Keon Ellis to the Cavs didn't help, either. He would have likely been a big part of any deal with the Warriors.
If trading Ellis didn't kill the Kuminga deal, then the buttterfly effect of Giannis entering the market certainly did. The positive takeway is that Sacramento could still trade for Kuminga down the road, if they decide he fits what they're trying to build.