The West rival that won’t let go? It’s Sacramento. Multiple outlets relaying NBC Sports Bay Area reporting say the Kings remain the most persistent suitor for Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga, even as the league-wide market has cooled. The Warriors are listening, but the clock is ticking toward the Feb. 5 trade deadline and their leverage isn’t what it once was.

That drop in leverage is tied to two facts rivals can see: Kuminga’s role has shrunk, and his relationship with Steve Kerr is reportedly strained. As Bleacher Report summarized, it’s an open secret around the league. Golden State’s public stance? They’re willing to hold him past the deadline if the price isn’t right. Executives elsewhere view that more as strategy than certainty.

This is a saga months in the making. The Kings chased Kuminga in the summer, and they’re back at the table now—but on different terms.

The Jonathan Kuminga trade market: few bidders, familiar leader

According to the Kings Herald’s recap of an NBC Sports Bay Area report, the Warriors “still haven’t found much of a trade market” for Kuminga. In fact, reporter Monte Poole’s framing had the Kings as the only team to show serious interest dating back to the offseason. BasketNews echoed the idea that league-wide interest has been limited.

There are other names in the mix, but not with the same heat. NBC’s Dalton Johnson, via Bleacher Report, listed the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards as having varying levels of interest. Rip City Project pointed to the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks as teams linked at different times. But across reports, Sacramento keeps popping up as the most active and most willing partner.

“If the Kings get Kuminga without giving up that 2030 first, that’s a win-now heist.”

Kings’ pursuit, then and now: Monk talks and a missing 2030 pick

Last summer’s skeleton deal was simple: Malik Monk plus a protected 2030 first-round pick for Kuminga in a sign-and-trade, per the Kings Herald, Heavy, and Bleacher Report. That pick is now off the table, according to Sam Amick’s latest reporting cited by those outlets. Sacramento’s interest hasn’t cooled, but the price clearly has.

Golden State of Mind floated a present-day concept built around Monk going to the Warriors for Kuminga with Keon Ellis added as a sweetener. But there’s a bigger hurdle: the Warriors don’t view the Kings’ veterans as appealing pieces. Multiple reports say a third team may be needed to make the math and motivations work.

Sacramento’s pursuit runs deep. As Heavy reminded, Marc J. Spears reported in the offseason that Kuminga felt the Kings were the right spot after a Zoom with team leaders. Spears even said, “He wants to go [to Sacramento],” noting the Kings pitched a starting power forward role next to Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis.

“Warriors can’t ask for the moon when JK isn’t even playing every night.”

Why Golden State’s leverage is slipping

The NBA is a leverage league. When a player’s minutes shrink and friction with the coach becomes public, prices tend to drop. Bleacher Report called the Kerr-Kuminga dynamic “frayed” and “an open secret.” Blue Man Hoop said flatly that Kuminga “isn’t in the nightly rotation and won’t have a ton of value.” Heavy added that both sides privately see a natural endpoint coming.

The Warriors’ public message is that they’re comfortable keeping Kuminga past Feb. 5 unless they get their number. But rivals view that as posturing to counteract the erosion of leverage. If a real bid arrives, the sense is they’ll listen hard.

Trade shapes and third teams: Mavs, Pels, Bulls, Wizards, Blazers

With the Kings short on players the Warriors actually want, most plausible paths are multi-teamers. Blue Man Hoop sketched a three-team scenario with the Mavericks and Kings in which Dallas collects draft value (even a pick swap from Sacramento for taking on salary), the Kings finally land Kuminga, and the Warriors get multiple rotation upgrades. That piece even suggested Golden State might send out two first-round picks to balance value, while touting Max Christie (turning 23 in February) as a 46.6% 3-point shooter in the season cited.

ESPN presented another hypothetical: the Pelicans receive Kuminga and Moses Moody along with three Warriors first-rounders—2026, a top-10 protected 2028, and a 2030 if it lands between 5 and 20—with Utah involved as a facilitator. In that concept, New Orleans would get a four-month runway to evaluate Kuminga before a decision on his $24.3 million team option for next season. That same $24.3 million figure has also been noted in Blazers-leaning analysis at Rip City Project.

There’s also a star-chase thread, with Bleacher Report noting the Mavericks have asked about an Anthony Davis swing while “also liking” Kuminga. Dallas reportedly has no interest in taking on Draymond Green, whose deal is listed at $25.8 million, in a framework that would need to match Davis’ $54.1 million number. Even those conversations show how Kuminga’s name keeps surfacing as a flexible asset, whether in a mid-tier retool or a blockbuster.

“This feels like a three-team puzzle. The first GM that blinks decides it.”

Why Kuminga fits what Sacramento needs

The Kings’ logic is clear. As the Kings Herald put it: they need another athletic wing with size, defensive upside, and transition juice. Kuminga checks those boxes and is still only 23. Heavy framed it as a foundational bet rather than a finishing touch, with Sacramento believing they can unlock him in a larger role.

That larger role was part of the pitch, per Spears: a starting slot at power forward next to Murray and Sabonis. If Kuminga levels up in that context, the Kings get upside at a position of need without paying superstar prices. If not, they may still acquire a toolsy defender who can run the floor and grow into the core.

The road to Feb. 5: posture, price, and patience

Here’s the standoff in simple terms. The Warriors want win-now help and won’t take on Kings vets they don’t value. The Kings want Kuminga but have pulled a future first off the table. Both teams know Golden State’s leverage has softened. That usually means a third team gets called.

What could break the stalemate? A facilitating team that sends Golden State a starter they like, takes back a contract the Kings want to move, and gets picks or a prospect for the trouble. Until that materializes, we’ll keep hearing versions of Monk-plus, Ellis as a sweetener, and a lot of “we’re comfortable waiting” from the Warriors’ side.

Make no mistake, though: momentum favors action. Sacramento is described as “wildly seen as the leader in the Kuminga clubhouse” and expected to re-engage, per Amick via multiple outlets. The Kings have chased him since summer. The Warriors have a decision to make before Feb. 5. And if a third team steps in, this finally might get done.

Until then, expect more calls, more hypotheticals, and one big question: who blinks first?