Warriors 'unlikely' to pivot from Jonathan Kuminga this summer

The Golden State Warriors are stuck in a stalemate with 22-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga.

The former lottery pick is a restricted free agent, but has been in no rush to sign a new deal with the Warriors, exploring his options around the NBA.

Kuminga has reportedly drawn interest from the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns during the offseason.

Unfortunately, the NBA's base year compensation rules have made a sign-and-trade incredibly difficult to navigate, which is why it's unlikely Golden State will explore a deal that would swap Kuminga for Bulls' Josh Giddey.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors have genuine interest in Giddey. Yet, there doesn't appear to be a clear route for getting a deal done, with the base year compensation rule playing a key role.

"Golden State's interest in Giddey is genuine," Fischer reported via The Stein Line Newsletter. "...I'm told that the Warriors continue to value Giddey's skillset and have communicated their interest to the Australian point guard's representation. There simply does not appear to be a feasible pathway to such a trade … not right now. The base-year compensation issue alone makes it challenging before we even get to the limited salary-matching and outgoing player flexibility that Golden State is currently facing."

Acquiring Giddey in a sign-and-trade would be a sizeable pivot for the Warriors. They've spent the past few weeks trying to secure Kuminga's future with a new contract. 

However, there's no denying that Giddey would be the best talent they could acquire given the current situation with Kuminga. Furthermore, he would be a strong fit within the Warriors' rotation and could potentially become the anchor of the next five to ten years. The issue is that that's how the Bulls see him, too.

Chicago and Golden State are at risk of seeing a restricted free agent ink their qualifying offer this summer, which would be a disaster for both teams. A move that would have seen Kuminga and Giddey change places could have made sense, especially if the Bulls remain high on Coby White. 

Nevertheless, that deal is unlikely to materialize, meaning that the Bulls and Warriors must do whatever they can to stabilize the future of their respective free agents. Otherwise, Kuminga and Giddey could end up on different teams next summer, leaving their current squads with nothing in return.