Should Phoenix Suns Go ALL-IN For Jonathon Kuminga?

Would you want the Suns to pursue Jonathan Kuminga? Uh, depends on what you’re paying him because you would have to do this in a sign-in trade. I think he’s young enough that maybe he’s worth taking a flyer on, but I personally don’t really like the fit. I I feel like Devin Booker, Jaylen Green, and Jonathan Kaminga in the starting lineup, that’s a lot of mouths to feed. Um, and I’m just not entirely sure. I mean, like, you can say what you want about Steve Curry and the Warriors haven’t been the same team over the last couple of years, but they do have a certain culture that has worked over the last decade plus. And to me, it is somewhat alarming that like Steve Kerr and the Warriors did not find a way to use him or to fit him in or whatever you want to call it. So, that’s a little concerning to me. The fact that like Brett Seagull pointed out, he’s looking for 2530 $35 million a year, which immediately puts you back into all these conversations that we just said you got out of, right? So, it does depend on what you do trade-wise. So, if you’re looking at this and signing trades are a little more complicated. So, the outgoing salary for the Warriors would count for half of what he’s signing for, that first year salary with the Suns. So if he was signing with the Suns for $20 million for that first year, that would only count for 10 million outgoing for the Warriors, but it would count for 20 million incoming for the Suns. So that discrepancy um usually is harder to make up. It’s not too hard because now the Suns have flexibility here. But something to keep in mind as well, the Suns would be hardcapped at the first apron if they do a sign and trade. That’s about 195.9 million. And that means you couldn’t cross that amount for the rest of the year. um they’re 3.3 million away from the luxury tax right now and 8.8 million away from that first tax apron that would hardcap them. So something to keep in mind there. Um I’m just going to go through some computations real quick because I did the math on some of these. Grayson for Kaminga, if you’re signing Kaminga to a deal that starts at 17 or 25 million between there, um that would work. Royce for Kaminga if it was 8 to10 million a year. That would work. Royce plus Richards for Kaminga works if it’s 15 million to 23 million that Kaminga is making. Um, and then Grayson plus Royce with Royce being absorbed into the Warriors MLE works between 20 million and 35 million. So, you heard Brett say that they’re probably not going to be interested in Grayson. So, it would probably be something like Royce and Nick Richards where they take him into the MLE or something like that. Um, but I I don’t know. I I don’t really want to pay Jonathan Kaminga 20 to $25$25 million a year. Um because you’d still have roster spots to fill after that and you’d have a very limited amount of space to do so. Yeah, I’m not like out on Kuminga as a player. Let’s take a look at his stats here from last season. I mean, not bad in just 24.2 minutes per game. He scored 15.3 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 50.8 two-point percentage, 30.5% from deep. And you know, he doesn’t fit in, yes, with maybe you say the Warriors culture and Steve Kur’s culture. It’s just like their style of play. Like his style of play does not fit in with the type of offense that they run. Now, was he willing to buy in to that? Clearly not because he wouldn’t change his game and and that is certainly an indictment on a player. But I also look at like being able to still produce those types of numbers in those minutes in a system that’s not ideal for you is is certainly something like I’m not out on Jonathan Kamingo as a player. I am out on Jonathan Kamingo as a player for $30 million a year, especially for this Phoenix Suns team that we have our youth now, right? Like we have the the people that we’re taking the shots on. We have Kaman Malawatch, Rashier Fleming, Ryan Dunn, Oso Giggodaro, Kobe Brea, even Colin Gillespie if you want to throw him in there as well. Like there are enough rolls of the dice on this team that I don’t think you need to mortgage anything to take another big one and especially wanted that big of a contract because if you then go above the second apron, like you sign them to an amount that puts you back above that, you’re refreezing your picks. are no longer able to aggregate contracts. All these things that it’s like, hey, this is why we turn Bradley Beal into a smaller five-year problem. All of that goes away so that you can get Jonathan Kaminga. And if at the end of the day, Jonathan Kuminga ends up being a really great player who’s worth it. I’m not going to look back at this moment and be like, uh, dang it, the Suns should have should have jumped on that. Like, I would understand the hesitancy and the reluctance to go and make a deal even if he ends up being great. Well, and that’s the thing is it’s not even up to them. Like they don’t have draft picks to offer. It would be like you hope that the Warriors really want to just get rid of Kaminga and really want like a Royce O’Neal or a Grayson Allen or a Nick Richards as a as a big man. Like the Suns don’t have any leverage here, especially the Warriors have all the leverage because Kuminga is a restricted free agent and like Brett said, they can drag this out for all summer because restricted free agents don’t have the upper hand right now. Uh, it’s also worth noting for people that because I’ve seen people suggest this, well, why don’t we just, you know, sign a and trade and get him for like a year or two and see how he does. A sign and trade comes with a minimum of a three-year commitment. So, you’re looking at 3 to four years, probably 20 to 25 million is what you would be signing him for. That’s that’s a that’s a pretty significant investment, especially since we just talked about how important the wiggle room is going to be beneath the second tax apron with Bradley Bill’s money on the book. So, it dep again, it depends on the amount you can get him for. It depends on what you’re giving up. I don’t see the Warriors taking what the Suns have to offer at this point. Um, but we know that the Suns are interested and Kaminga could be a good player. He’s 22. He turns 23 in October. But for me personally, I kind of want to prioritize young pieces that actually fit with the identity that they’re trying to establish and and kind of fit next to that Booker Jaylen Green backcourt. I don’t know that Kaming Kaminga kind of feels like more of the same to me when you look at Book and Green. Real quick, just give me a number. The highest you’d be willing to pay. Me, I would say like 20 million, but I don’t think like 15 to 18. And I don’t think that’s getting it done either. What do you think, though? Drop a comment. Leave a like. Let us know if you want the Suns to go and acquire Jonathan Kumingo, what price you’d be willing to pay.

The Phoenix Suns have been reportedly linked to Warriors’ RFA Jonathan Kuminga in a potential sign-and-trade deal to bring the forward across the Pacific Division. Is this the right move for a team that just moved on from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to get under the 2nd apron? What would a potential deal look like? PHNX Suns dives into it and breaks it down from all angles!

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45 comments

  2. It's kinda sad when media covering the team thinks a $20m cap hit over the next five years is somehow a good thing and tries to then make fans believe getting stars on huge contracts is a rational next step. The team isn't good now, so it makes no sense to sacrifice the future. You're running cover on perpetual mediocrity.

  10. I’m not gonna say that Kuminga is a good fit with us, but I also don’t think that Golden State is really known for developing players after Curry Green and Clay. They haven’t developed any young players with the exception of Poole and we all know how that ended. So I’m not sure how much I really trust Golden State’s perspective on him.

  15. If they wanna take a risk, they should go after Giddy. He at least provides what they need most. Kuminga is inconsistent af, even more so than Jalen Green.

  21. PG, we have players that like to catch the ball midflight and dunk the crap out of it now. If we don't get a PG that can hit them they will stop doing that stuff.
    AND I NEED THAT STUFF!

  26. GSW fan here, and not one of Jonathan Kuminga. He could have signed for $30M last year with GSW, but demanded $35M. So he went restricted free agent instead. Dude is a legend in his own mind but in no one else's. He thinks he's the new Dominique Wilkens or Dr. J, but no way.

  35. He could be a great player if given starter minutes on a new team, but if the Warriors had him for all those years and didn’t think much of him, why do we want that?

  39. I would like to approach this from a different angle while at the same time not pointing any fingers at current or previous players on the roster. Several comments gave been made about "fit" and only "one ball". I get it, there are 5 guys in the court at all times in every game, albeit many have specific roles. We found out the last 2 1/2 years alleged talent or known names don't mean anything if the fit isn't right. But if we dial in a little deeper and look at any of the teams the Book has been on that has worked (which was only the CP3 era). The issue really isn't fit or not enough balls to share, but how much the offense has always been built solely for 1 player even though there have been others on the court. Arguably, nothing has worked with Booker as the primary score and with this approach teams have honed in on him and it's game over. Look at the last few seasons when it mattered, Mavs basically shut him down, then Timberwolves put Jaden McDaniels in him and it was a wrap.

    With good coaching, defined roles, and simple scheme, I truly believe we can introduce new players with a skillet like Kuminga and Jalen. If it works in the park, why can't it work in the league? Look at Pacers, Thunder, Celtics, and Cavs, they have multiple players making the team very hard to gaurd, but everyone gets a touch. They also have a primary ball handler/decision maker, and ours should not be Book. Having him run the offense may have helped during a few plays, but ultimately that has always impacted his play on both sides of the ball.

    Remember when CP3 and Book were both out, how Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridget's began to thrive? There were comments even made by some of their teammates that told them, "make sure you keep playing this way when Book comes back".

    I'm not say Book is the problem, but what I am saying is we need more versatile players on the team as well and the offense should not solely be build around his skills. Finding a legit PG (one that EVERYONE, respects, including Book) can do wonders for this team. There was nothing worse than watching this team last season and everyone or no one wanted to be the point guard and that didn't work. A real PG can figure out how to incorporate versatile skillsets. The worst thing you can do with players that have will, desire, and a real bb IQ is walk away from the opportunity to add them to your team because there's only one ball.

    *If they REALLY want to win, they will figure it out.

    That last group, didn't want to win and played for KD, and even Book was star struck. Let these young guys get a blow and disrupt the norm.

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