Kings’ Pursuit of Rising Talent Slowed by Western Rival’s Hesitation: Report

Instead, the Kings have kept their core together and they also added Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud in the 2025 draft and signed Dennis Schroder in free agency to bolster their roster with hopes of chasing a playoff spot this season.

While the Kings have made multiple moves to upgrade their roster this offseason, they have also been linked to Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

It was reported earlier this summer that the Kings had offered Kuminga a contract in free agency, though Golden State turned down their offer of Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick.

Warriors Reluctant to Trade Kuminga to Kings for Key Reason

While it was reported that the Warriors turned down Sacrameno’s offer due to them not meeting their asking price for Kuminga, a report by The Athletic’s Sam Amick revealed another potential reason.

“There is a sense from some people involved that there's a real reluctance not only to finally ‘quit him,’ if you will, but also to see him go up the road to another Northern California NBA team. It’s run by a guy in Vivek Ranadivé, who used to be with the Warriors. And what if Kuminga blows up and becomes a total star? From a personal ownership dynamic level, there are some folks that feel like that could be playing a small part. Again, that's not really relevant, because these other things are the real obstacles. But I mean, Joe (Lacob)—like a lot of owners—is very involved, too,” Amick wrote.

This is a major report by Amick as it appears as though the Warriors may be reluctant to trade Kuminga to the Kings as they do not want to see him blossom into a star for their West rivals.

For the Kings, this puts a major roadblock in their way of potentially pulling off a trade for the young forward as it appears as though the Warriors may be unwilling to trade Kuminga to them.

Despite this, if Sacramento offers Golden State the right trade package for him, it would not be a surprise to see the Warriors send Kuminga to the Kings as his future in The Bay remains in question.