Nearly three weeks into free agency, Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors still haven’t come to terms on what the future will look like. Kuminga is a restricted free agent hoping to receive a lucrative new deal, while Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has publicly stated that he doesn’t know if the 22-year-old can play big minutes alongside the core veterans.

Thankfully for the Warriors, a lifeline has been extended that could open the door to a mutually-beneficial sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix has been active during the 2025 offseason, most notably trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for a package that centered around Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. The Suns now project to roll out a starting lineup that would see Brooks and Green playing alongside All-Star Devin Booker.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Suns aren’t done putting together their new-look rotation—and may attempt to sign Kuminga away from the Warriors.

“Sources say Phoenix, meanwhile, is the latest team to express exploratory interest in a Kuminga sign-and-trade … challenging as it would be for the Suns to make such a deal happen.”

With Fischer reporting that Kuminga is looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $25 million per season, an opportunity has presented itself for Golden State to counter Phoenix’s interest with a sign-and-trade proposal: Kuminga for Brooks.

Unlikely as it may seem, it’s a late lifeline being extended to a Warriors team in need of a potential Kuminga replacement.

Suns eye Jonathan Kuminga, opening door for Warriors to ask for Dillon Brooks

Brooks could have value to the Suns, but the same can be said for Kuminga with the Warriors. If Phoenix is to make a formal offer for Kuminga, that would seemingly open the door to Golden State countering with a simple reminder that salaries must at least come close to matching to pull this off.

The only individual player on the Suns’ salary cap table who makes in the range of what Kuminga is asking for is Brooks at $21,124,110 for the 2025-26 season.

While many would argue that Kuminga is the superior talent, Brooks would be a better fit with the Warriors’ veterans. He’s one of the best 3-and-D wings in the NBA, possessing the toughness and tenacity that one would think would fit wonderfully alongside Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

Brooks is also coming off of the best shooting season of his career at 2.5 three-point field goals made per game on 39.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Phoenix likely sees the value in having Brooks on its roster, due in no small part to his ability to alleviate some of the defensive burden from Booker and Green. The tricky nature of sign-and-trading for a player hoping to make somewhere around $25 million, however, is that valuable assets must go out.

Golden State won’t accept a sign-and-trade that brings back an overpaid talent who fits poorly, especially with a limited window to contend given their stars’ respective ages.

That brings the conversation right back around to Brooks, who can occupy an invaluable 3-and-D role for a Warriors team that has struggled to replace Klay Thompson. Phoenix, meanwhile, would add a slashing scorer in Kuminga to complement Booker and Green’s shooting.

The hurdle, of course, will be circumventing two key factors: Brooks’ trade exception that prevents him from being packaged with another player until Sep. 6 and the Warriors attempting to avoid being hard-capped. The latter will be instrumental to the efforts to acquire Al Horford.

If Golden State is hoping to find an ideal replacement for Kuminga, however, then the Suns could be an unexpected source of optimism.