Jonathan Kuminga Receives Reality Check From Former Champ

For the longest time during the 2025 offseason, people thought Kuminga was headed to the Sacramento Kings. Talks have slowed down in the past few weeks, as Kuminga continues to have trouble exiting Golden State.

With trade talks stalling, that could force Kuminga to sign the qualifying offer. He will stay with the Warriors for the 2025-26 season, but trades could be made before the February 2026 deadline.

Perkins Wants Kuminga to Leave Golden State

The Warriors are committed to their veteran core of Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry. They want to maximize their championship window, which leaves out a young forward like Kuminga.

It would be best if he leaves the team because he has shown potential, but he is not realizing that in Golden State. Butler and Green are the top forwards on the team, which leaves Kuminga out of the picture.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is not the most notable Kuminga fan, which will likely continue to take a toll on the young player's career. Perkins acknowledges the issue that led to his comments.

"I don’t know if Jonathan Kuminga watches NBA Today, but they don’t want you, dawg," Perkins said on ESPN's NBA Today.

"They don’t value you because if they did, you wouldn’t be going through this. It started last season, Steve Kerr showed you how he felt about you when you were out of rotation during the Play-In Tournament and in the first couple of games in the first round against the Rockets."

Kuminga Has Limited Options Beyond Golden State

With Kuminga getting closer to returning to Golden State, that could limit his career. Thankfully, he will only be 23 by the start of the regular season. Many teams will show interest in him in the trade market in the last year of his deal.

He could also become an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason, but it is unlikely that Golden State will let him leave without anything in return.

He won't have many options with his contact preferences heading into the 2025-26 season. However, that could change when he signs a qualifying offer.

The possibilities are limited without that signed qualifying offer, but Kuminga could trust himself to produce to entice more teams.