Embattled Golden State Warriors combo forward Jonathan Kuminga remains a man without a team this summer.
A restricted free agent, Kuminga's odds of returning to Golden State long-term appear to have collapsed after he fell out of head coach Steve Kerr's rotation heading into the playoffs. A sign-and-trade felt inevitable this summer.
But with opposing teams having mostly taken their big roster swings, Kuminga's market appears to be more finite than his handlers had likely first hoped.
According to a new report from The Stein Line/Substack's Jake Fischer, the lowly Phoenix Suns at least have "exploratory interest" in bringing Kuminga aboard through a sign-and-trade deal.
Our most up to date notes on the restricted free agent market, including a new suitor for Jonathan Kuminga: https://t.co/dmk9M5chqZ https://t.co/ak46KWgzji
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 17, 2025
The Suns, of course, are in rebuilding mode after flipping 15-time All-Star power forward Kevin Durant and buying out three-time All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal earlier this offseason. Ditching Beal at this stage of his injury-prone, defensively-limited, ball-hogging career may be a bit of addition by subtraction, but thanks to his stretched-and-waived contract, he will clog up the Suns' cap and impede team-building for the rest of newly-extended All-Star guard Devin Booker's prime.
Bringing in a young player like Kuminga — an athletic, high-upside 22-year-old forward with potential — would be one of the savvier moves Phoenix has made this offseason.
Last year, the 6-foot-8 pro averaged 15.3 points on .454/.305/.668 shooting splits, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 47 healthy games.
There's no guarantee that the former No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA draft will ever blossom into an All-Star, but he does have that upside and is clearly looking for bigger minutes than the veteran-laden Warriors can offer.
Kuminga was selected ahead of eventual All-Star Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (the No. 16 pick) and Orlando Magic standout Franz Wagner (No. 8), plus rising star Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (No. 20) — all significantly better players at this stage in their careers.
Two other teams have been primarily linked to Kuminga this offseason, as Fischer details.
"Heading into Summer League play, Sacramento had seemingly shown the most interest in Kuminga among external suitors," Fischer writes. "The 22-year-old's camp had also been hopeful, sources say, about a potential sign-and-trade with Chicago, but the Bulls have their own ongoing restricted free agency dance to navigate with [point guard Josh] Giddey. The sides, sources say, remain far apart, with the Australian point guard long known to be seeking a deal that pays in the $30 million range annually."
Chicago traded two-time All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso for Giddey and zero draft equity last summer. Caruso instantly won a championship, while Giddey happily inflated his numbers on a losing Bulls team.
If the Bulls can add Giddey at a number they like (they are reportedly pushing for something closer to $20 million a year), perhaps they'll take a flier on Kuminga, too. Chicago has enough contracts to piece together for a deal that could benefit both sides.
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