The Warriors had an opportunity to trade one of their young players for a proven, sharpshooting wing this offseason, but opted not to.
Golden State, while fielding sign-and-trade offers for restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga this summer, rejected an offer from the Phoenix Suns that included veteran forward Royce O’Neale and second-round compensation, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported in a story on Monday, citing sources.
The Warriors reportedly also turned down an offer from the Sacramento Kings that included guard Malik Monk and a future first-round pick.
The 32-year-old O’Neale, who signed with the Utah Jazz as an undrafted free agent in 2017 after playing two years overseas, spent five seasons in Utah before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 and later the Suns in Feb. 2024.
In eight seasons, O’Neale has averaged 7.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on 42.6-percent shooting from the field and an impressive 38.5 percent from 3-point range in 26.2 minutes per game.
While Kuminga’s ceiling — and potentially his current floor — undoubtedly is higher than O’Neale’s, the veteran forward could have provided Golden State a reliable sharpshooter and defender off the bench had the Warriors accepted the Suns’ offer.
Instead, Golden State since has halted all sign-and-trade discussions with interested teams, and it appears the Warriors and Kuminga ultimately will have to settle for a temporary solution that keeps the young forward under contract at least for the 2025-26 NBA season.
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