The biggest trade rumor involving the Sacramento Kings in the offseason surrounded Jonathan Kuminga leaving the Warriors. It didn't work out, which was probably the best for everyone involved. Kuminga couldn't and wouldn't have changed the Kings' fortunes for the better in the least.
After the now-infamous implosion of the 2024-2025 season, the Kings were expected to make a lot of big moves over the summer to right the ship. They did not. The largest trades were for Dennis Schroder and Dario Saric. Neither acquisition has worked out particularly well for Sacramento.
The big one that never happened was for the Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga. He was standing firm on wanting more for the Warriors in terms of both money and respect. Kuminga definitely got the bag, and the Warriors seem to be taking him more seriously as an asset.
Part of the whole trade rumor was Kuminga wanting to move to Sacramento. It's hard to say if that was real or not. Being that the Kings are the Warriors' long-time rivals, it might have just been something said to push Golden State in the right direction by Kuminga's camp. If so, smart move.
Kuminga on the Kings wouldn't have changed anything
There's no doubt that Jonathan Kuminga is a great player with the potential to be a superstar. He's a great forward who is a threat on offense and a tenacious defender. On paper, Jonathan seems like the exact type of player the Kings are looking for. But that's on paper, not so much in reality.
While the Warriors aren't the same team they were in their glory days, they still have a more well-balanced roster than the Kings. Kuminga succeeds in part because he's surrounded by other great players who have been working together on the same team for years. It's a good environment.
The Kings have great players, but no team rhythm or balance. Kuminga wouldn't have changed that because he would have just been joining essentially the same team the Kings have now. If anything, adding Kuminga to the Kings would have just dragged him down to their level like other players.
Kuminga would have likely ended up benched while Schroder, Sabonis, DeRozan, LaVine, and Achiuwa continued to start. Plus, there would have been another positional logjam when Keegan Murray returns from injury. Everyone is better off in the short and long term with how it worked out.