While Jonathan Kuminga’s fit at the Golden State Warriors is questionable at best, it’s clear that the front office still holds the young forward in high regard and is valuing him accordingly as a restricted free agent.

It seems inevitable that the Warriors will either bring Kuminga back on a new contract or find a suitable sign-and-trade, but perhaps there’s a path to the front office making the unthinkable decision of letting the 22-year-old walk to another team.

Would Warriors consider letting Jonathan Kuminga go to acquire Bradley Beal?

Teams are allowed to rescind qualifying offers to restricted free agents, something Golden State could do which would allow Kuminga to become unrestricted and move to the team of his choice.

Why would the Warriors do that though? Well, given their current cap situation at $25 million below the first apron, they could open up the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1 million) to use in free agency.

There’s not really any remaining free agents Golden State would use the NTPMLE on, except for one player who’s likely to hit the market following a buyout…Bradley Beal. Once the 3x All-Star finalizes a buyout with the Phoenix Suns, he’s expected to join the L.A. Clippers where he’ll team up with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and a deep veteran squad.

However, the Warriors are also a confirmed suitor for Beal according to NBA insider Jake Fisher earlier in the week. Golden State’s ability to steal Beal out of the Clippers’ grasp may be limited, but they could provide a financial incentive that makes it plausible.

If the Warriors were to rescind Kuminga’s offer, they could offer Beal the full MLE — almost $10 million more than what the Clippers can provide. Given the 32-year-old is likely to give up $14-15 million in his buyout with the Suns, that could be a real factor in swaying his decision.

Would Golden State essentially trade Kuminga for Beal? At the very least it’s an interesting debate, with the veteran guard having still averaged over 17 points on incredibly efficient shooting percentages over the last two years despite all the turmoil in Phoenix.

You would only rescind the qualifying offer in conjunction with signing Beal — there’s no chance you would do it without a guarantee from the former third overall pick. The Warriors may still then have the chance to sign Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, while also having three more roster spots available beyond that.

It still feels like an extremely unlikely outcome, but it is a possible one if the Warriors really believe Beal can be a difference-maker and is worth the price of letting Kuminga walk as a free agent.