The Golden State Warriors continue to sit and wait for the Jonathan Kuminga situation to resolve itself. They’ve submitted a few different offers, most recently reported to be for two years, $45 million with a team option on the second year. He’s shown no interest in signing that.
Until the Warriors figure out how to either bring Kuminga in long-term, find a sign-and-trade, or he accepts his qualifying offer, they’re not going to be able to go through the rest of their free agency plans. That’s why they’ve yet to sign anyone.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater provided the latest on what’s happening with the Warriors and the players they want to sign on NBA Today.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter of game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
“It’s the same names we’ve all been talking about for six weeks now. Al Horford, he’s clearly ticketed to be their starting center if that gets wrapped up. De’Anthony Melton is a name they like. Seth Curry. Their second-round pick, Will Richard, is a guy expected to potentially be on their roster. Gary Payton II.
Slater mentioned they’re fine waiting for now, as they understand the complexities of the situation, but they may not be fine waiting forever.
“August is a lot easier for people to just be like, ‘OK, we’ll get to you when we get to you’. September starts to get a little more uncomfortable in this entire situation. And that’s where, I don’t know if there will be movement or a little bit more angst in the Warriors or Kuminga’s side, but September is where this could get a little dicey.”
Some of the latest on the seven-week stalemate between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors from NBA Today pic.twitter.com/XZgd8W5WtB
https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1956486034180730952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1956486034180730952%7Ctwgr%5Eeb37ab1836d9f91407edd8520fae39fda2e5b6e9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fwarriors%2Fnews%2Fwarriors-free-agency-plans-could-be-in-jeopardy-report-01k2r1adj51d
The Warriors only have nine players on the roster currently, so they just need to fill out the team at some point. Kuminga’s contract will impact how much they can spend, but they’d like to at least go into training camp with a nearly full team.
If Kuminga doesn’t want to be with the Warriors, as every indication seems to be, he may just have to accept his qualifying offer, which Slater says Kuminga is fine with. That’s the worst-case scenario for Golden State.
Apr 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
If they can’t come to an agreement on a contract extension before October 1st, the deadline for qualifying offers (though it can be extended), they would be better off pulling off a sign-and-trade.
The qualifying offer would allow Kuminga to enter unrestricted free agency next offseason, but it would also give him a no-trade clause for next season, meaning he’d be able to completely control his destiny. There is expected to be a lot more spending room next season from every team, so he could walk in free agency for free, and the Warriors get nothing in return. They need to figure this out soon.
