It’s official—Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency saga has gone from a slow burn to a full-on soap opera, and the latest twist? The Washington Wizards have crashed the party like the guy who shows up to the NBA Draft in a tux and slides to the second round. According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the Wizards have entered the Kuminga sweepstakes with “real momentum,” and things might just get weirder from here.

You wouldn’t normally associate the words “Washington Wizards” and “smart front office decisions”, but credit where it’s due—they’re seeing something in Jonathan Kuminga that Golden State apparently can’t commit to. At just 22 years old, Kuminga checks every box you want in a rebuilding piece: high upside, athleticism overloaded, and carries a chip on his shoulder larger than Karl Malone’s biceps.

And here’s the real kicker: Washington owns Golden State’s 2030 first-round pick (top-20 protected) from the Chris Paul trade. Translation? If the Dubs deal Kuminga to DC, they could wiggle that pick back and finally unchain their draft capital for future moves. Not to say Dunleavy Jr. is playing 4D chess, but this is the kind of leverage swap even Danny Ainge would smirk at.

In classic NBA fashion, no deal ever gets done without a meet-up in Vegas. And no, we’re not talking craps and cocktails. Slater reports that Kuminga, his agent Aaron Turner, head coach Steve Kerr, and GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. are expected to huddle up in Sin City to hash out what a reunion might actually look like.

Will they hug it out like Shaq and Kobe in that Players Tribune video? Highly unlikely. But the fact that both sides are still talking suggests the door isn’t closed. Just maybe stuck halfway like Andre Iguodala’s back during his final season.

Remember when the Sacramento Kings reportedly offered Devin Carter, Dario Saric, and two second-round picks for Kuminga? Yeah, the Warriors treated that offer like Ben Simmons treats open threes—hard pass. Golden State considered it a “buy-low” attempt, which is basically front office speak for “we’re not that desperate.”

Sacramento even floated a wild three-team deal that would’ve sent Malik Monk to the Pistons and Kuminga to the Kings. Warriors fans promptly short-circuited online, screaming things like “Is this NBA Live 2005?” Thankfully, sanity prevailed, and the deal was rejected. Crisis avoided.

 What Kuminga Wants (and Needs)

Here’s where it gets spicy. Kuminga isn’t just looking for a payday. He wants to matter. He wants the kind of belief from a franchise that Denver gave Jamal Murray before the bubble. He’s tired of being told “Be ready.” As he put it in April: “I already know that I’m ready. The more you keep telling me to get ready, it becomes kind of irritating.”

You can practically hear the eye-roll from here. After averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.2 APG on .454/.305/.668 shooting last season—even with missing over two months due to injury—Kuminga still found himself riding the pine in key games. Until, of course, Curry went down in the playoffs, and bam—Kuminga dropped 24.3 points per game over four contests against Minnesota, shooting a cool .554 from the floor and .389 from three. Talk about earning your stripes.

Golden State wants a “promising young player plus a first-rounder” in any sign-and-trade. So far, no one’s met that price, although the Wizards are reportedly poking around with real curiosity. The Heat, Bulls, Bucks, and Nets? All have “varying levels of interest,” which is basically NBA code for “we texted his agent but haven’t double-texted yet.”

A potential Washington deal likely involves one of their younger assets, not veterans like Marcus Smart, Khris Middleton, or CJ McCollum—those contracts are heavier than Kendrick Perkins’ TV takes.

If a deal doesn’t materialize before the Summer League, Kuminga’s reps are expected to continue talks with teams in Vegas. That includes Golden State, where there’s still a world in which Kuminga comes back if he’s assured a bigger role. But let’s be honest—sharing the floor with Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green isn’t exactly the fast track to being “the guy.”

And here’s the doomsday scenario: if Kuminga really wants to bet on himself, he could accept the $7.9 million qualifying offer and walk into 2026 unrestricted free agency with a no-trade clause in hand. That would send the Warriors into DEFCON 1, losing a lottery pick for nothing. That’s not just bad asset management—that’s the kind of move that gets GMs fired faster than a timeout with no timeouts left (looking at you, Chris Webber).

So now, the ball is in the Wizards’ court. If they’re serious about making Jonathan Kuminga the face of their rebuild, they’d better move fast. Because one way or another, this story is headed for a dramatic twist—and Vegas might be where the next chapter begins.