The Phoenix Suns have been cleaning house this offseason, with both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal finding new homes. The Beal move was especially important - albeit painful as the franchise had to buy him out - as it brought the Suns under both aprons, which then allowed a needed move like this to happen.
Which has put them in position to be linked with the few remaining players who are looking for large extensions with their current teams, but have yet to receive them. Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors is one such individual, and there have been rumored links between the 22-year-old and Phoenix.
Kuminga returning to Golden State works for Suns.
NBA insider Jake Fischer recently jumped on Bleacher Report's podcast on all things NBA offseason, so naturally Kuminga's future was going to come up. Fischer has been one of the leading voices in updating fans on Kuminga's future - and as you can see from the video below - he actually expects Kuminga to sign a short-term deal to go back to San Francisco. This is excellent news for the Suns.
This deal is being done because the Warriors - who are supposedly holding out for a first round draft pick, young player with upside and no bad contracts in return - have yet to be offered that kind of deal. Which is why we've already said the Suns shouldn't have been put off by that kind of asking price, because with the market the way it is it doesn't seem the Warriors will get that.
So if Kuminga goes back to the Warriors - on something like a two-year deal that pays him $20 million annually - all that is going to do really is drive the cost to acquire him down even further. Everybody knows he that franchise doesn't want him - and that he wants to be paid a figure he's not going to get there - which is why a split will eventually happen even if he goes back.
Fischer also noted the important detail that whatever deal Kuminga signs will be trade eligible for next season. This would suggest the Warriors want to move on from this situation as soon as they can, and that will inevitably lead to them lowering the asking price. It's not nearly as attractive, but Grayson Allen looks like he would be an ideal fit in the Warriors' system.
Perhaps some combination of him, Nick Richards, Royce O'Neale and a couple of seconds ends up being the best offer the Warriors receive. If nothing else, all of those players are veterans and none are on particularly long or expensive contracts either, allowing Golden State to wipe the slate clean on this whole Kuminga experience.
The Suns also know from when they traded Deandre Ayton just how different the market you think there is for a player is from the reality. Ayton was a former first overall pick who had anchored a defense all the way to the NBA Finals, and it netted Phoenix Allen and Jusuf Nurkic. If the Suns are serious about Kuminga, this is a positive update to get.