The Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors are caught in stalemates with restricted free agents Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga, respectively. These dilemmas could stretch into September, and possibly up to the qualifying offer deadline on October 1st.
There’s even the possibility of those players accepting their qualifying offers, something the teams would like to avoid, if possible. Kuminga has made it known that he doesn’t want to be back in the Bay, and the easiest way to do that is to accept the qualifying offer and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason.
Mar 10, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Meanwhile, Josh Giddey would like to be back in Chicago, but he is firm on his asking price of $30 million annually, while the Bulls have been offering around the $20 million range annually. And until the Bulls increase their offer, Giddey won’t want to sign.
Former Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem provided the perfect solution on ESPN: trade them for each other.
The Warriors were 1 pick away from Josh Giddey in 2021 👀
The Thunder grabbed him at No. 6, and Golden State pivoted to Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7.
Fast forward to 2025: Kuminga’s got a ring, but never the keys. A rocky stint in the Bay has left him in limbo, but the Bulls can… pic.twitter.com/fLNW2AMr9q
https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1953865715305369876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1953865715305369876%7Ctwgr%5E38c5eecfe606c1f191a3449200d4716bdd8ec34c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fbulls%2Fnews%2Fmiami-heat-legend-urges-warriors-bulls-to-make-blockbuster-trade-01k2r0dzmydt
“I’m looking around. I’m looking at the Chicago Bulls and I’m looking at the Golden State Warriors and I’m saying Josh Giddey looked like a guy that could fit great over in Golden State and Jonathan Kuminga looks like a guy that possibly could fit good in Chicago,” Haslem started.
“I remember reading an article just a little while ago where Josh Giddey’s father said that there was interest from Golden State in Kuminga, but OKC took him at six, and they said that Golden State would take him at seven,” Haslem continued. “So I’m just saying, this might be a solution. I’m no GM. This might be above my pay grade, guys. But this might be a solution to some people’s problems.”
A Giddey-Kuminga swap would solve a lot of issues, but it’s nearly impossible to pull off a sign-and-trade for one restricted free agent, much less both teams trading one away. Golden State has already noted that they don’t want to trade away Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, who would almost assuredly have to go in a sign-and-trade to make everything work.
Likewise, Chicago doesn’t want to trade away Ayo Dosunmu and would rather get rid of Nikola Vucevic, who the Warriors aren’t interested in trading for anymore.
May 12, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) stands on the court during warmups against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Further complicating it is the tax implications in a sign-and-trade, as it caps teams out at the tax aprons. But the Warriors only have nine people on the roster right now. This just isn’t a feasible option for either team.
