Once again, Jonathan Kuminga is on the market, the Sacramento Kings are interested, and he's not going to end up on the roster. The Kings do not have the salary cap to bring him in, and they aren't interested in sending any of their own players to Atlanta that the Hawks would actually want.
The saga between the Kings and Kuminga has been going on since last offseason. He was negotiating an extension with the Warriors. Things were not going well, and Sacramento was reputedly his exit strategy. In the end, he stayed in Golden State, though only for a few months.
At the 2026 trade deadline, the Warriors were part of a deal with the Hawks that sent Kuminga to Atlanta. It was yet another short-sighted move on the part of Golden State, but that's a completely different conversation. What matters is that Kuminga went to Atlanta and played great.
His Atlanta run is all but over, as the Hawks didn't take his option, and Kuminga is now an unrestricted free agent. A number of teams have shown interest, though no one has pulled the proverbial trigger. The expectation has long been the Kings making a move, but it's just not that simple.
The Kings money troubles aren't going away any time soon
As it stands right now, Sacramento is in a position to sign any free agents. They are only seriously considering Russell Westbrook and/or Victor Oladipo because the Kings could offer veteran minimums. Anything beyond that is impossible without hitting the first apron of penalties.
This has been an issue throughout the offseason. The Kings are currently carrying two overpriced contracts for Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. Once LaVine and possibly De'Andre Hunter leave in free agency in 2027, Sacramento will have nearly $75 million in salary cap to work with.
That doesn't help them with their pursuit of Kuminga now. There is the option of a sign-and-trade, but that means the Kings have to offer up something they are willing to part with to get him. The most likely scenario is that they convince the Hawks to take Hunter and some draft capital.
So far, Kuminga hasn't seemed impressed with the limited money Sacramento can offer. The Lakers have more to work with and are a highly likely destination. If that doesn't work out, the Kings' only hope is Kuminga signing a one-year deal with the Hawks and hitting free agency again in 2027.
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