Report: Suns have ‘a lot less interest’ in Jonathan Kuminga now because of contract situation
Although the Suns reportedly made the “most lucrative push” for Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga over the summer when he and the Warriors were in the thick of a lengthy contract dispute, Phoenix does not have the same level of interest it did then, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
Golden State is expected to revisit potential deals once Kuminga is trade-eligible on Jan. 15, with Phoenix and the Sacramento Kings among the interested parties, according to NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Dalton Johnson.
Gambadoro said the Suns’ interest is “a lot less” now than it was in the summer because of the two-year, $46.8 million resolution Kuminga and Golden State arrived at.
“The Suns’ original interest was based on having him on a reasonable contract for four years,” Gambadoro said. “Now that he signed with the Warriors, after this season it is basically a one-year deal. He can cash in for a much bigger pay day in 2027. So not so sure the Suns would go in based on that.”
In the offseason, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported the bidding war between Phoenix and Sacramento reached as high as $90 million over four years with a player option on the fourth year.
That would’ve been in a sign-and-trade, where the Suns would’ve also had to give up players, such as Grayson Allen and/or Royce O’Neale.
While Phoenix would no longer have to sign Kuminga to a new deal, it wouldn’t get the same long-term security that the previously proposed four-year deal would’ve brought, should it make the deal now.
Jonathan Kuminga’s season to this point
Kuminga has appeared in 17 of the Warriors’ 25 games this season, including 13 starts. He’s averaging 12.4 points on 43.2% shooting (32% from 3) with career highs in rebounding (6.3) and assists (2.6).
He was a healthy DNP for Golden State’s last game on Sunday, one day after head coach Steve Kerr indicated some members of the rotation would not play the second night of a back-to-back.
Since then, Kerr praised how the forward bounced back at practice on Wednesday.
“He had a great practice today. We had a talk before practice and he did the things that I asked him to do and I was thrilled about that,” Kerr told reporters.
“I do feel for him that he has sort of been at the whim of my decision making based on what I want to see out there from our team,” he added.
Kuminga most recently played on Saturday, and he had four points on 1-for-10 shooting in 22 minutes as a starter.
The Warriors’ next game is on Friday when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
