While Jake Fischer didn’t directly link the Sixers to Jonathan Kuminga, he mentioned the Warriors’ forward as the type of player they could go after — on a rookie deal with no extension in place.
It’s fall. The leaves are changing colors to burnt umber, lime, chartreuse, ox blood, dijon, rust, but NBA trade slop season has come early!
A top NBA Insider and former Liberty Ballers alum, Jake Fischer, dropped his first bomb of the day declaring that he’s returning to Bleacher Report. And then he hit us with a really exciting piece of speculation. The Sixers might be interested in trading for a rising star on a rookie deal like Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga.
“Two suitors… the league is always planning 18 months out, and so the first domino I want to put up on the board and have people aware of: the Philadelphia 76ers have this KJ Martin $7.9M deal (people have called it the ‘human trade exception,’ we need to find a better terminology for that…) but KJ Martin is making far more money than he probably would have, what his market value would be, for the ability for Philadelphia to potentially trade him….and that $7.9M, Kuminga’s $7.6M [that Jonathan Kuminga makes] slots right in there.”
In case you’re not well versed in the Sixers’ players salaries, Fischer is alluding to the fact that the Sixers, last summer, gave what is sometimes referred to as a “balloon” deal to Martin, the forward who came over in the James Harden blockbuster trade back in 2023.
Martin, an athletic specimen, was a problem for the Milwaukee Bucks on the offensive glass in the season opener Tuesday before the game got out of hand. The IMG Academy product also happens to be the son of former Nets and Nuggets superstar, Kenyon Martin, the high-flying power forward, and former No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft.
And Daryl Morey and Elton Brand, mindful of the new salary cap and apron landscape, knew that in order to trade some of their now potent draft capital, they’d need more then minimum salaried players to get something great back in return.
Fischer continues:
“I am not reporting that the Sixers are definitively trying to turn KJ Martin’s contract into Jonathan Kuminga. But if you’re looking at options, if you’re someone who’s advising Kuminga, or if you’re Kuminga himself, and trying to think about who could be a potential suitor for you to reward you with that near max money next year, the Sixers have definitely indicated around the league and behind the scenes that they are willing to pay, add in another piece. Right now, they’re willing to spend their draft capital, they’ve got three-plus (first round picks), they got this super interesting 2028 unprotected Clippers’ pick that continues to be more interesting [with Kawhi Leonard’s knee issues]… but just keep Philadelphia in mind for looking at guys like Kuminga who are on rookie deals or potentially up for a big pay day where they know their incumbent team might not be willing to give that top dollar that Philadelphia I think, they were so keen on maximizing flexibility to go after Paul George, they had that had shake, wink-wink with Tyrese Maxey, to keep their cap holds low…but I think the Sixers have a lot of willingness to go deep into the tax if the right guys are available and if that ownership group is believing in Daryl Morey’s front office that player they’re willing to pay in the tax for is someone that really does cement this title window around Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.”
The Brooklyn Nets are the other team he mentioned as a possible Kuminga suitor.
Kuminga, a Congolese native, is listed at 6-foot-8, 210 lbs. And if you’ve paid any attention to the worrysphere in Sixersville lately, it’s that they lack size, athleticism and rebounding potential at the four spot. Kuminga might be someone Morey has in mind. And it sounds like they wouldn’t mind using picks to get him, and then pay him what he deserves next summer, obliterating the tax if he cemented a title window in place.
Most of you probably also know Kuminga as the Warriors’ player who fell on Embiid’s leg last February, leading to a meniscus surgery that the 2023 MVP continues to work his way back from.
As Fischer makes clear, this is all a bit premature. But Kuminga is still just 22 years old. He was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Like Kelly Oubre, Jr. and Caleb Martin, he can play the three or the four, and in theory provides lots of defensive versatility.
He averaged a career high 16.1 ppg in 2023-2024, to go with .7 steals, and .5 blocks in just 26 minutes per game. Per 36, that pops a bit more translating to 22 ppg, 6.6 reb, 1 steal, and .7 blocks.
The big question mark is (you guessed it) the jump shot. He’s merely a 34 percent career shooter from beyond the arc, with a career free throw percentage of 70.6. It’s not a broken jumper. But would he space the floor? I suppose that would be Morey’s big bet. And if that came along (at least the way Andrew Wiggins’ shot developed playing alongside Steph Curry back in 2021-2022 for a Finals run), well, maybe they’d really have something.
We’ll take the early slop before the leaves have even fallen. And Fischer adds that this type of player is what they might be eyeing, someone who is making roughly what Martin is making but might be due a big pay bump. And the idea that ownership could be willing to back up the Brinks for whatever Morey and Brand’s vision is? Well, sign me up for that and many more reports like this one.