The Milwaukee Bucks had talks with the Golden State Warriors about trading for Jonathan Kuminga, but an NBA champion was the sticking point.
The Golden State Warriors are at a dead end with Jonathan Kuminga. He rejected their offer of two years for $45 million and looks set on leaving the team in free agency next season.
Kuminga thinks the Warriors stunted his growth. He can take a qualifying offer of $7.9 million for one season, then walk out the door for nothing in 2026. The Warriors are looking to trade Kuminga, but have not been able to find a suitor.
They had trade talks with the Milwaukee Bucks, but they couldn’t agree on a trade centred around an NBA champion.
Milwaukee Bucks wouldn’t trade Bobby Portis for Jonathan Kuminga
The Bucks are trying to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee by building a championship roster around him. They have been unsuccessful in recent seasons, crashing out in the first round to the Indiana Pacers, so the Bucks took drastic measures this offseason.
They waived Damian Lillard and let Brook Lopez leave in free agency. The Bucks then signed Myles Turner from the Pacers after he went to the NBA Finals last season. They could have traded for Kuminga too, but they wanted to keep hold of one player.
NBA insider Brett Siegel wrote for ClutchPoints, “It is also worth mentioning that the Milwaukee Bucks were another team that kicked around the idea of pursuing Kuminga.
“If they were to do so, the Warriors made it known they would want Bobby Portis in a sign-and-trade scenario, which is something Milwaukee wasn’t willing to do. The Dubs have held interest in Portis dating back to before the 2024 NBA trade deadline.”
Portis was an NBA champion with the Bucks in 2021, and is an important veteran presence in the locker room. But he has never shown the upside of Kuminga. Draymond Green said Kuminga was there to stay after a red-hot stretch in 2024. He has a high ceiling.
It’s surprising, therefore, that the Bucks wouldn’t take a swing. Kuminga’s upside has the potential of lifting Milwaukee into Eastern Conference contention. Either they don’t like what they see in Kuminga, or Portis brings something special to the table.
Bobby Portis dismissed Giannis Antetokounmpo rumours
Milwaukee’s offseason has been dominated by reports that Antetokounmpo could be leaving. It seems unlikely that the Bucks will build a championship contender in the next few seasons, so the Greek superstar weighs his desire to win another title against the pain of leaving his new home.
Antetokounmpo loves Milwaukee and is looking for a reason to stay. Portis, who has been teammates with Antetokounmpo since 2020, suggested that he couldn’t see him on any other team.
He said to ESPN Milwaukee, “I talk to Giannis all the time. That’s my teammate.”
He continued, “Giannis bleeds green. That’s all I can say.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo values his long-term teammates. When Lillard was waived and Lopez left, he sent out cryptic posts on X that read, “I don’t know what’s going on right now, man.”
That could well be the reason the Bucks didn’t make the Kuminga trade. Priority number one right now is to keep Antetokounmpo happy, and if keeping his teammate alongside him keeps him content, then that’s exactly what they need to do.
