Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency continues to drag on. Neither he nor the Golden State Warriors have reached a solution to the current stalemate. Therefore, the prospect of a sign-and-trade has to at least be part of the front office’s thought process. After all, it’s better to trade Kuminga now, than to see him walk away next summer with nothing coming back in return.

If the Warriors do opt to explore sign-and-trade packages, the Sacramento Kings would likely be among the front-runners to land to the former lottery pick. A package centered around Malik Monk has been reported as the most likely framework for a deal. However, The Athletic’s Sam Amick, speaking via Sactown Sports 1140’s “The Carmichael Dave Show,” believes Joe Lacob is reluctant to strike a deal with the Warriors’ Northern California rivals.

“Joe Lacob is eternally in love with Jonathan Kuminga,” Amick said. “There is a sense from some people involved that there’s a real reluctance not only to finally quit him, if you will, but to see him go up the road to another Northern California NBA team that’s run by a guy in Vivek Ranadivé, who used to be with the Warriors. And what if Kuminga blows up and becomes a total star? From a personal ownership dynamic level, there are some folks that feel like that could be playing a small part. Again, that’s not really relevant, because these other things are the real obstacles. But I mean, Joe — like a lot of owners — is very involved, too.”

If Kuminga did move to the Kings, he could become a consistent thorn in the Warriors’ side. Not only would he remain in the same conference, he would still be in the same division. Therefore, the reluctance from Golden State makes sense. Lacob would likely be more open to sending Kuminga to the Chicago Bulls, where he would be in a different conference and would only see the Warriors twice a year.

Of course, Kuminga could still re-sign with the Warriors. A recent report from ESPN’s Anthony Slater noted that Kuminga will sign the current deal on the table if Golden State makes the final year a player option. Whether that happens will remain to be seen. But, for now, Kuminga’s restricted free agency is holding up the Warriors ability to round out their roster, and it’s for that reason they should explore every option they have available.

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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: The Warriors could avoid a Kuminga sign-and-trade with the Kings