Suns' Next Move After Rivalry With Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga

According to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, Jonathan Kuminga has turned down the Golden State Warriors' most recent proposal, which could now allow the Phoenix Suns another opportunity. The Warriors have renewed their efforts to sign Kuminga, yet he rejected the two-year contract worth $45 million due to the team's desire to remove the no-trade provision.

Phoenix knows why Golden State would not include such a clause in one of their player's contracts following the Bradley Beal situation. The most recent inability to finalize an agreement provides general manager Brian Gregory with advantage when pursuing sign-and-trade deals for the former lottery selection.

How the Suns responded to the Warriors' most recent proposal:

The Warriors are said to be seeking a first-round draft selection along with a role-player who isn’t under an unfavorable contract as part of a deal involving Kuminga. The Suns face limitations when it comes to having available first-round picks, making this demand quite high for the team. Nevertheless, Golden State's ongoing difficulty in signing Kuminga might lower the value of their request, potentially allowing Phoenix to offer several second-round selections instead.

The franchise currently has an abundance of experienced players at the shooting guard spot, making it possible to potentially send one to the Warriors in a future transaction. Kuminga is seeking a contract worth $30 million per year. The Suns are $6.5 million short of reaching the first tax threshold and $18.4 million below the second. Should Gregory decide to exchange Grayson Allen's $16.8 million salary along with Nick Richards' $5 million for Kuminga and his $30 million compensation, the team would end up just $2.7 million above the first tax bracket.

Gregory's objective is probably to remain beneath both salary caps, which may explain his reluctance to present the large contract to the Warriors' forward. He could potentially substitute Richards with O’Neale and still have minimal space under the first cap to finalize the agreement without exceeding it.

The Suns' team requires an additional versatile forward for their lineup, as Ryan Dunn and Dillon Brooks will be the only players between 6'6" and 6'8" who see substantial playing time next year. Kuminga has averaged over 15 points in each of the last two seasons and has shown himself to be a dependable scorer, particularly during the postseason, where he put up 24.3 points along with 3.5 assists in his last four matches against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.

Head coach Steve Kerr reduced Kuminga's worth during most of the first round and early part of the second round in last year's playoff series. The Suns would be wise to capitalize on the Warriors' error and aim to strengthen their currently youthful team, which is focused on long-term development.

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