The Jonathan Kuminga saga continues to captivate the NBA world, with the Golden State Warriors holding firm in their stance on the young star. Despite interest from the Sacramento Kings, who are eager to add the NBA champion to their roster, the Warriors are playing their cards close to the chest, leveraging Kuminga’s status as a restricted free agent to maintain control of any potential deal.
The Warriors have no urgency to move Kuminga, and for good reason. As a restricted free agent, any offer sheet Kuminga signs with another team can simply be matched by Golden State, making rival teams wary of pursuing him. The Kings, however, have made a bold move to pry Kuminga away. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Sacramento proposed an enticing package: a three-year, $63 million deal for Kuminga, paired with veteran guard Malik Monk and a lottery-protected 2030 first-round pick heading to Golden State.
Yet, the deal has hit a major snag. Amick revealed that the Warriors are unwilling to part with two key players in any trade package: Buddy Hield and Moses Moody. Including either player, alongside Kuminga, would be necessary to finalize a sign-and-trade with the Kings, but Golden State is standing firm. “Anyone saying the first-round pick protections are the only obstacle to a Kings-Warriors sign-and-trade is wrong,” Amick wrote. “Golden State really doesn’t want to move either Buddy Hield or Moses Moody (which would be required).”
A quick (and belated) follow-up on the Jonathan Kuminga reporting from Friday: Anyone saying the first-round pick protections are the only obstacle to a Kings-Warriors sign-and-trade is wrong, as I’m told Golden State really doesn’t want to move either Buddy Hield or Moses Moody…
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 4, 2025
Hield, who played for the Kings from 2017 to 2022 and averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game in the 2018-19 season, remains a valuable asset. Trading him or the promising Moody could tip the scales in Sacramento’s favor, a risk the Warriors are clearly unwilling to take. The reluctance to include either player underscores Golden State’s cautious approach, as they aim to avoid strengthening a division rival.
As The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami reported, the Warriors are signaling confidence that Kuminga will remain on their roster for the upcoming season. With the qualifying offer deadline not until October 1, there’s still time for negotiations to evolve, but the clock is ticking. The complex dynamics of this potential trade, coupled with Golden State’s firm stance, suggest that Kuminga may indeed stay put—at least for now.
The question looms: if Kuminga remains with the Warriors, how long will he stay? As the NBA offseason unfolds, all eyes will be on Golden State and Sacramento to see if they can bridge the gap or if this blockbuster deal will collapse under the weight of its own complexity.