How Much Do the Sacramento Kings Need Jonathan Kuminga?

How Much Do the Sacramento Kings Need Jonathan Kuminga?

Talk to me like I’m five. What is happening here? Okay, let here we go. While you were sleeping, shout out Sandra Bulock. God, it gets pretty gone, man. Yeah, I don’t know if you how tapped in you were. Now, this goes beyond DL and Casey in the Kings Twitter there. The Warriors, the the people who reported on it, I think this was like that weekend, we’re like, “Yeah, the the deals the offer from the Kings still remains the same.” name Deon Carter, Sarge, and maybe some picks. That’s, you know, that can go anywhere. While the Warriors are looking for trade package that includes Keegan Murray or Keon Ellis, that’s too darn damn bad. So, you come back on Monday and we’re talking and everything and me and Jesse were asking the question and answering the old question, too. It’s like, yo, Keegan’s a no. Like, that’s just we ain’t doing that. But, like, would you We talked about Kon Ellis. We did talk. talked about him. We talked about and we we we said no. Matt George hated us for it. Matt George not for saying no to Keon no about Keon, but just more so bringing up Keon. Yeah. Matt George was on the show and then started texting us right now. That’s what I’m saying. Like it’s just it’s crazy. So we said no, though. We even said no. But then Kyle Matson brought the the question back up again. He was like, “Look, you don’t want to do it, fine. But if you got into a situation where because everybody has their own level of leverage right now where it’s like we can get this deal done if you include Keon. If you say no, fine, but like we’re for real done with this. Like we’re going to sign him or something like that. And then we ask the question again like would you let basically would you let Keon Ellis stop this trade from happening? And I would I wouldn’t I’m not trading. No, I wouldn’t. So you and I like I I here now people ain’t listening when they do it. I I I don’t want to include Keon at all. But if it got down to it as like we’re really about to be done with this whole thing. You can make the deal, include Keon instead of Devon. I wouldn’t give him both, but instead of Devin, you can have Kaminga sign him, do all this other stuff, or we walk away. I would not let Keon Ellis stop this trade from the the opportunity to see the potential of Jonathan Kamingo all the way through. And that’s kind of Ton Tion TC was just like, “Yeah, uh, Devin’s just as good as Keon.” And I completely disagree. Like I don’t I don’t I don’t want to get like disrespectful or nothing like that, but Keon is is way better than Deon Carter in my opinion. Yeah, I’m I’m with you in that regard. I don’t think I’d be willing to lose Keon Ellis in a trade for Jonathan Kaminga. Now, I’m sorry. I got to give you more context. Okay. One of the things we also talked about, and this may change your perception, that’s why I wanted to to stop you. We talked about the Kings picking up Keon’s option costing him a lot of money. And what if Keon has to like, yeah, I I ain’t feeling that. Y’all messed up my money. I’m going to do what I have to do and play this year out, but I’m definitely testing free agency when it comes up. I’m definitely testing free agency. If somebody’s willing to, clearly you’re not really willing to give me a whole lot of money. If somebody’s willing to give me $10 million, I probably would have got on the open market, I’m probably going to leave. Does that change how you feel about that? Very much so. I just don’t know why Keon would do that. Do what? It that scenario you just presented cuz they kept him from getting money and But did they? I think if he was on the on the open market, he would have got he’s probably looking for like eight $9 million. That’s that’s he can still get that from Sacramento. Yeah, it’s a year later than he would want to get it. Yeah, but I don’t believe I don’t know. Mhm. I don’t believe that they went to Keon or I I don’t believe that they just didn’t pick up his option and Keon found out through Twitter. Mhm. I don’t believe that that happened. Great. I do wonder if there was, hey, here’s the situation we’re in right now. Here’s what we’re attempting to do right now. Here’s where you factor into all of this. This isn’t going to make this a cushier blow for you. We want to sign you to a contract extension next year. We want to leave a certain level of flexibility for us to move different contracts and and do different things right now. We want to sign you to this this extension that you want. We could even talk about dollar figure, whatever. We want to do that next year. We don’t want to do it right now. We can’t do it right now. And here’s why. Mhm. Um I believe that might be too intricate. I have to believe there was at least a discussion. Otherwise, why would you even blink at trading Keon Ellis if you’re the Kings? Like you wouldn’t in my opinion. Like if you if you thought little enough to not have a conversation with him and his people about the direction in which you’re going with your basketball team and with him as a part of your basketball team, then yeah, you could trade him for nothing. You just get him off your basketball team. I don’t think that’s how they feel about Keon. And I don’t think that’s what took place. I hear you. That’s not reporting. That’s just an opinion. I um on a guy who’s been around all off season. Mhm. Mhm. Part of been a part of hit away like he’s been at summer league. He’s he here as a king. I think I think we also had Drew the local guy on and and he was I think they’re I don’t think he was happy with the decision, but I do think they were in in communication. Yeah. And both can be true, right? Both can be true. Like, hey man, you’re due for 1012 million. Just gonna have to wait a little bit longer. and a little bit longer could entail a ACL, an MCL, a Achilles, a bad season. Like there’s a lot that could happen in in that and you’re just kind of working off faith with one another. And that’s a that’s a tough thing to work off in professional sports. So, here’s a here’s the question that I was asking and I said at the time it’s not apples to apples because there’s an age situation. And there’s it’s not. But I was just just It’s the summer trying to figure some stuff out, right? If the Utah Jazz said, “Hey, you know, we miscalculated this Ace Bailey thing. Uh Scott, we’ll trade you Keon for Ace Bailey.” Would you take that? Uh yeah. Like what would the miscalculation meaning? thought we could just draft him and he’d be happy here. We were wrong. Uh yeah, we’re going to have to move him. Yeah. So I said like I know Ace is 19 and I know Jonathan Kaminga is 22, but what’s the difference? If anything, you actually know more about Jonathan Kaminga and like you kind of understand what his floor probably is. Mhm. And think a higher ceiling. No, it’s it’s debatable. I mean debatable ceiling. Sorry, I I I’m sorry. I did that wrong. I don’t mean what I think or you think. You You asked what would the difference be. Maybe they would think his ceiling is higher. Ace Bailey series potentially. I even took the name out of it and I was like, “Hey, Utah, the league is fixed. We were just guaranteed the third pick for next year. Would you just trade the third pick next year for Keon Ellis?” Yes. Like you would take that. So, but the fact that you don’t know who the player is and you don’t know the name, you know it’s not AJ. Oh, yeah. We’ve been over this. Yeah. They’d be like, “Oh, in a heartbeat.” But because you know Jonathan Kamingo, who’s he’s in the he’s in the same vein as Ace Bailey. He’s not a rookie. He’s not 19, but he’s still he’s only 22 years old. You know what I mean? But there’s a diff I think there’s another like subtle difference to that. you if you’re if you’re gold it’s it’s again it goes back to the it’s a game of chicken. You want an asset. I want I want an asset you don’t. Mhm. We’re we’re we’re playing we’re playing the same games here from completely different perspectives. You’re I get it. You’re trying to maximize this this young asset that you have. You don’t want him. Not only do I know it, the whole league knows it. You’ve been pretty vocal about guys like an Anthony Slater, Sam A, Marcus Thompson. They don’t get this type of information regarding the Warriors perspective on Jonathan Kaminga on accident. These are all well-connected and very established reporters. We all know, we know your playbook. So, I will make you if you want to sign him if if if you can you can throw your hands up. Ultimately, the we could talk about who has there’s so much conversation about leverage and all of this stuff. The ball’s in Jonathan Kaminga’s court to a certain degree also. And there’s that qualifying offer. No, go ahead. I sign it right now. You can’t trade me. You can’t do nothing with me. You could sip me next year. The book on me has been written. I’m not going to be able to change anyone. I could go out and go for 40 next year per game, but if this team is a 40 win team while I’m do, no one’s gonna care. They’re gonna think exactly the same way that they think about me today, six months from now. It’s up to me to stay healthy. That’s what this all boils down to. And that’s that’s in the same Sorry, sorry. It reminds me one thing I saw uh Anthony Slater now of ESPN, right? Is uh or say something. Um Oh, yeah. No, Kaminga’s been open to the Kings and Bro, you better cuz you’re not really in a position to be close-minded to anything. I don’t know what league you think you’re negotiating in, right? But yeah, like if it’s the Kings, if it’s the Hornets, if it’s the Utah Jazz, if your if your if your uh goal is to get paid and to get out of Golden State, you need to be open to anybody who’s talking. He talked Slater talked about how they actually met in Vegas for the first time, Scott Perry, BJ Armstrong, and Kaminga, and it went well. to your point, that’s where me and Jesse landed on like it doesn’t feel like you have to do that because of the situation. So, I wouldn’t I try everything in the world not to give up Keon Ellis because I don’t feel like I have to. That’s not the market. But just for answering an argument’s sake, like I I as much as I love Keon, I wouldn’t that opportunity, that chance, and it is a chance. It is a gamble with Jonathan Kaminga. the upside that he has. That’s the type of move the Kings are looking for. That’s the type of young player, young talent the Kings are looking for. If they tanked, they’d be looking for a Jonathan Kaminga. You got an opportunity to get that guy right here. And I I just I would I wouldn’t not do that. But isn’t there still a question of See, this is this is I don’t this line has become such a buzzword. Kings fan uh says on on YouTube, “Kings have all the leverage. Why would they cave?” The Kings don’t have leverage. The Warriors don’t have leverage. I think everybody has their version of leverage. Yeah. I don’t think the Warriors can just sign him. They whether they But Kaminga has to sign it, right? But he they can they can offer him something that will get him to sign if they want to or or if somebody wants him, they have to trade for him because clearly nobody’s going to or no one no one’s going to give him a qualifying offer. Yeah. So they have to have a deal that’s going that they’re going to have to accept. They don’t have to take just any deal in this situation. That’s their leverage. Kaminga is the qualifying offer situation. That’s his the key. That’s not the best leverage either. It isn’t. I think it’s it’s a it’s a it’s a it’s a it’s like a no-win situ it’s a it’s literally the situation no one wants that he’s in firm control of like he doesn’t want it but the Warriors don’t want it and any team looking to seriously acquire him doesn’t want it because they lose any chance to get him the second he signs it right I think he has kind of the least and that’s what this all boils down to is do the Sacramento Kings want him that bad and that’s where we talk yeah or are we just like hey we Look, we want to get him here. We also we’re trying to take advantage of a situation as well. We’re trying to take this advantage of a unique situation in a unique mar market at a unique time for I should say a a unique situation at a unique time for the market and everyone’s just kind of sitting here and that’s that’s the other question that we’re not sure of and that would also affect the Keon Ellis situ. If you want Jonathan Kaminga that bad, you go get him. You go close the deal. You figure it out. If you’re like, “We want them, but it’s got to be 100% on our terms,” then you you stick to your guns. And also realize by doing that, you may miss out on them. And if you miss out on them, are you cool? Are you looking at it as a missed opportunity? If not, then keep doing what you’re doing. But if you really if they if Scott Perry and because I mean, after that conversation, I guess they were like, “Hey, you know, we’ll start you. We want to give you all the options in the world. maybe after talking to Jonathan Kaming like, “Man, this this is a guy I really want to take a chance on. Like, I think this is this a good opportunity for us.” If you feel that way, I’m you you kind of maybe this is bad negotiating or or I came first in this situation, but like I want this guy on the team. I have to go get him. I got to finish this out. I got to finish the deal. I I don’t want to go through all of this just to miss out on them. If that’s how they feel, you know, if they felt that strongly about him, you close the deal, man. Close a deal.

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