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General Manager Sean Marks of the Brooklyn Nets have big decisions to make this offseason.
Jonathan Kuminga and the Brooklyn Nets have been linked to each other since the trade deadline.
It’s not hard to see why.
Kuminga needs a change of scenery after his volatile role with the Golden State Warriors fluctuated like the stock market over his first four years in the NBA. The Nets have the most cap room and need a talent infusion after not landing at the top of this year’s draft.
Despite these circumstances, which point to Kuminga and the Nets as a perfect match, a union seems unlikely, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“There is not a current expectation that the Brooklyn Nets are preparing an offer sheet for Kuminga, but there are signs Brooklyn could be willing to use its open cap space as a vehicle to execute multi-team trade scenarios this summer, league sources said,” Slater wrote. “That could open up several avenues and possible suitors for Kuminga, one of the market’s most intriguing names.”
Perhaps the Nets are already invested in their own restricted free agent Cam Thomas, who shares a similar career trajectory with Kuminga.
Cam Thomas Blocking Nets’ Interest in Jonathan Kuminga?
Getty Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors are expected to explore a sign-and-trade this offseason.
Thomas, like Kuminga, needs the ball in his hands to be effective.
It’s the same problem Steve Kerr is facing with Kuminga in Golden State.
“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” on May 21. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have, Steph [Curry], Jimmy [Butler], and Draymond [Green], and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
But unlike in Brooklyn, the Nets do not have a veteran team that is built to win now. So there’s also a world where Kuminga and Thomas can thrive together or in staggered lineups if the Nets pursue the 22-year-old Warriors forward.
Kuminga is a 6-foot-7 athletic wing who proved in the postseason that he can hang with the likes of Anthony Edwards. Kuminga was a revelation in the final four games of the Curry-less Warriors, averaging 24.3 points on 55.4% overall shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line. What made it more impressive is that he did it after a string of DNPs.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
The Nets should be in talent acquisition mode and then figure out the rest later.
Re-Signing Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe Are Nets’ Top Priorities
Getty Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball as Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks defends.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Nets’ top priority is re-signing their own restricted free agents Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe instead of going after Kuminga.
“The opportunity cost of using their $45 million in cap space on available targets such as Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Santi Aldama could be too high…Despite Kuminga regularly being linked to the Nets, it seems unlikely,” Lewis wrote.
In an April interview with the New York Post, Nets general manager Sean Marks highlighted the importance of keeping their homegrown talents.
“It’s always great when you are able to draft somebody like those two specifically, and then they get this opportunity to [decide]: Are they going to sign their second contract with us?” Marks said. “So, I look forward to the summer, and look forward to those conversations with their agents, and we’ll see where it all plays out. But I do think it’s important to be able to keep your homegrown talent.”
Thomas has shown marked improvement over the last two seasons, breaking out in the 2023-24 season with 22.5 points per game on 44.2% overall shooting and 36.4% from the 3-point line. In an injury-marred 2024-25 season, Thomas upped his scoring average to 24 points per game while also dishing out a career-high 3.8 assists.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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