Jonathan Kuminga, who is coming off a season averaging 15.3 points on 45% shooting and displays a lot of upside, is ready to hit restricted free agency. Would a fit in Miami make sense? (Photo via Imagn Images)

When it comes to developing players, the Miami Heat organization is one of, if not the best in the entire association. They could potentially get their hands on their most enticing development piece yet. This potential piece is Golden State Warriors’ forward Jonathan Kuminga.

At the attractive age of just 22 years old, Kuminga’s growth has been stunted a bit in the Bay. Steve Kerr has kept the talented youngster on a tight leash as of late. Consequently, Kuminga found himself out of Golden State’s playoff rotation this past spring.

Kuminga is set to become a restricted free agent in the coming days to begin this year’s offseason. This means that if an outside team extends a contract offer to him, the Warriors would have a few days to match that offer. They could still retain him.

Another route could be a sign-and-trade. Although Golden State doesn’t have much leverage in acquiring assets, especially after Kuminga’s potential departure.

A hefty chunk of the Warriors’ payroll is already tied up between the Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green payroll. ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks expects Kuminga’s market value to be around three years and just under the $80 million mark. That type of financial commitment seems difficult for Golden State to pull off at this point.

That’s where rival teams, like the Heat, come in as the next landing spot for Kuminga’s services. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Miami has “legitimate interest” in a partnership with Kuminga.

“The Miami Heat have legitimate Johnathan Kuminga interest, per league sources, among others expected to explore the idea as the market materializes.”

— The Athletic

Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang also stated the Heat’s interest in a recent article. However, they downplayed it a bit more than Slater did in The Athletic’s piece.

They described Miami’s link to Kuminga as “some level of interest.” Meanwhile, they noted the Heat front office is also currently exploring different moves to upgrade the roster.

Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly looking for a chance to be a featured scorer and playmaker for a team next season.

Despite Kuminga’s struggles to earn consistent minutes over the course of his Warriors tenure, he has displayed star potential. He has shown that in the opportunities that he has gotten over the years.

After Curry went down with an injury in Golden State’s recent playoff run, Kuminga received playing time and didn’t disappoint. He averaged 24.5 points and 3.5 rebounds on 55% shooting overall in the Warriors’ final four postseason games.

For the 2024-25 season, he put up 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals. He achieved these numbers on 45% from the field in 24 minutes per game.

At 6-foot-7, Kuminga displays a lengthy and versatile skill set. This skill set could help revamp coach Erik Spoelstra’s lineups. Although his outside shooting and defense needs to be improved, there is plenty of upside for the 22 year-old to achieve that growth in the near future.

When it comes to the financial aspect, the Heat would need to make moves to fit Kuminga in the team’s budget. A combination of Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson’s expiring salaries or Andrew Wiggins’ near $28 million salary would likely have to be surrendered to make the room.

At this point for the Heat, any sort of change is worth legitimately exploring. Even if it comes at the cost of a low-risk, high-reward type of addition like this.

Would you be willing to develop Kuminga in the Heat’s current timeline? Let us know in the comments!

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This is a developing news story, stay tuned for updates.

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