The Golden State Warriors headed into the playoffs with a lot of hope after their post-trade-deadline stretch following the Jimmy Butler acquisition. However, it was clear that an injury to one of their key veterans would derail their chances, and that was exactly the case in their Western Conference Semifinals matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After Steph Curry went down with a hamstring strain in Game 1, the Timberwolves won the following four games to beat Golden State in five games. Even though the Warriors showed promise, it's clear that change is on the way, and that appears to start at Jonathan Kuminga. According to a recent report, an Eastern Conference team could be used to facilitate a deal.
The Brooklyn Nets would not make an offer for Jonathan Kuminga in free agency, but they are willing to be in various sign-and-trade deals that would include JK, per @anthonyVslater pic.twitter.com/vSxeasAw2z
— GSW Ball Report (@GSWBallReport) May 29, 2025
According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater , the Brooklyn Nets might be willing to use their salary cap space to help execute a Kuminga trade.
"There is not a current expectation that the Brooklyn Nets are preparing an offer sheet for Kuminga, but there are signs Brooklyn could be willing to use its open cap space as a vehicle to execute multi-team trade scenarios this summer, league sources said," Slater wrote.
While the Nets have been viewed as a top contender for Kuminga, given their abundance of cap space, it appears they'd rather be used to help facilitate a deal rather than bring him in. In a scenario like such, Brooklyn would likely seek draft compensation and take on a less-desirable contract to complete a deal.
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