Evaluating Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga options as free agency stalemate drags on

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Evaluating Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga options as free agency stalemate drags on

Brett Siegel · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jul 24, 2025 ·

9 min read

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The post Evaluating Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga options as free agency stalemate drags on appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Over three weeks have passed since the NBA free agency window opened, and there is still no word on when a resolution will come for the Golden State Warriors and restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga . When the Dubs first drafted Kuminga, they did so because the young wing had the potential to be the next guy in Golden State to help usher in a new era.

Maybe Kuminga can still be this type of player given all of his untapped potential, but it continues to look unlikely that his long-term future will be with the Warriors.

James Wiseman is no longer with the Dubs, and neither is Jordan Poole . All that remains from the "two-timeline approach" Bob Myers attempted to put together is Kuminga and Moses Moody . Whether or not Kuminga remains with the Warriors is the biggest question remaining this offseason, and it is not far-fetched to believe he is the next young talent to depart Golden State.

After all, he has been at odds with head coach Steve Kerr over the last year, and Kerr has stated multiple times that he doesn't view the 22-year-old as an ideal fit with Stephen Curry , Draymond Green , and Jimmy Butler .

At this point, Kuminga and the Warriors are stuck in a holding pattern. This is especially true after the two sides met in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League.

Is there still potential for a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade?

The Warriors and Kuminga's side have talked at length multiple times since their season ended in the Western Conference semifinals. While these conversations have been described as very "fluid and open-ended," no progress has truly been made between the two parties, sources told ClutchPoints.

Overall, it has become clear that Kuminga would rather continue his career with another team than with the Warriors.

At NBA Summer League, the Warriors again met with Kuminga's representation to talk about all of the different options available at this point in the offseason. With no sign-and-trade materializing, the common belief around the league is that Kuminga would return to the Warriors on a smaller contract than he is asking for, with the understanding he will be moved before the trade deadline in February.

Well, Kuminga and his camp haven't come down on their asking price, and the Warriors have not increased their offer, which sits between $20 million and $23 million per season on a smaller contract than what is desired by the player.

As a result, Kuminga and his representation have been in contact with several other teams around the league in attempts to kick-start a market. Near the start of free agency, it was the Sacramento Kings who made an aggressive push for Kuminga .

The Kings have signaled that they are willing to part ways with talents like Devin Carter , Dario Saric, and a protected first-round pick for the Warriors' forward. This is a proposal that Golden State has not given any thought to and immediately turned down. Malik Monk is another name who has come up in trade talks from Sacramento this offseason, but his contract isn't one that the Dubs have expressed interest in.

Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis are two players the Warriors would likely want in a potential sign-and-trade with their in-division rivals. However, the Kings have given zero indications that they will part ways with either player, especially given the notion that Kuminga wants out.

The other issue surrounding the Kings and their Kuminga pursuit is that they are hard-capped at the first apron and only have about $7 million in wiggle room. So, if the Kings were to bring Kuminga in via a sign-and-trade on a contract worth at least $25 million per season, they would need to find a way to cut at least $18 million in salary, hence the talk of Monk being the player who would be moved.

Right now, there aren't any indications suggesting that the Kings are on the verge of striking a deal here.

Other teams with rumored interest in Kuminga are the Chicago Bulls , Phoenix Suns , and Brooklyn Nets . Then again, the Nets, who have plenty of cap space, have yet to express serious interest in Kuminga. If they wanted to, Brooklyn could sign Kuminga to an offer sheet right now and escalate this situation.

This doesn't seem like a path the Nets will go down this summer, but things could change quickly based on what happens with Cam Thomas ' situation.

The Bulls are also in a holding pattern since Josh Giddey is a restricted free agent. While Giddey wants to be paid like Jalen Suggs and Immanuel Quickley , two guards who recently got five-year extensions that pay them over $30 million per season, Chicago has made it clear that they won't be giving the Australian guard this kind of money.

If the Bulls are to pursue Kuminga, they won't be getting rid of guard Coby White to do so, sources said. It has been made clear the Bulls hold no interest in trading White, and it's also unlikely Golden State would pursue veteran center Nikola Vucevic in a sign-and-trade for Kuminga.

As a result, players like Ayo Dosunmu and Jalen Smith loom large as potential assets Chicago can offer up for Kuminga.

In terms of the Suns' interest in Kuminga, this has existed since the trade deadline when Golden State was on the verge of acquiring Kevin Durant , sources said. Kuminga was one of the main assets who would have gone to Phoenix in the deal that was basically agreed upon before Durant shut it down.

Phoenix is not actively searching up and down their roster to find a way to add Kuminga, but that level of interest from the trade deadline has not gone away. If they can land the young forward at a reasonable price, both contract-wise and in terms of assets going out, the Suns would be open to doing so.

So far, the Suns are basically in the same boat as the Kings. Their offer, as previously reported to include Grayson Allen , isn't of interest to the Warriors. Although Allen is a good player on the perimeter, he still has three more years left on his contract, including the 2025-26 season.

Golden State does not want to run into a problem where its cap sheets are spread out across multiple years, and they are currently operating on a two-year window with its current core. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green are all under contract through the 2026-27 season. Steve Kerr's contract runs through then as well.

The Dubs' main problem is that there simply isn't a market for Kuminga right now. Since they aren't getting offers that intrigue them and the two sides remain far apart in negotiations, the next question many are asking is whether Kuminga would consider taking a chance on himself for one year.

A qualifying offer agreement is Warriors' worst nightmare

If things go south between Kuminga and the Warriors in negotiations, and the team continues to essentially hold him hostage when it comes to sign-and-trade scenarios, then the 22-year-old may be forced to take a bet on himself.

As a restricted free agent, Kuminga was extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer by Golden State. This is a standard one-year offer that must be given to a player entering restricted free agency, assuming the team wants to maintain its rights on said player. That is the case here with Kuminga and the Warriors, as they don't want to lose him for nothing.

The longer this stalemate drags on, the more questions will be asked about whether Kuminga will take control of the situation and possibly accept his qualifying offer. In doing so, he would basically lock himself in with the Warriors on a one-year contract that contains a no-trade clause.

Golden State would not be able to flip Kuminga before the trade deadline without his permission, and he would become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Essentially, the Warriors would lose complete control of Kuminga and not be able to do anything about it.

However, why would Kuminga and his camp do this other than to create a nightmare scenario for the Warriors?

Not only would Kuminga run the risk of getting injured with Golden State before signing a long-term, high-paying contract, but he would also be stuck in a system that doesn't fit him. If he were to accept this qualifying offer, what is stopping the Warriors from continuing to bench him at times and this becoming a toxic situation?

This isn't a smart move for Kuminga early in his career, as it's not like the market would change all of a sudden for him after one year unless he were to have an All-Star-like season with the Warriors.

So, if there isn't a sign-and-trade right now and the qualifying offer is just a threat at this point, when should we expect a resolution to Golden State's offseason?

When will the Jonathan Kuminga situation be resolved?

This is the biggest question Warriors fans want to know.

There is no deadline for Kuminga to sign, and he has no reason to be in a rush. On the flip side of things, the Warriors obviously want to find a solution sooner rather than later, as it has held up their entire offseason to this point.

The common belief among NBA personnel and rival teams who pursued both players is that Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton have agreements in place with the Warriors . However, neither player can sign and officially hit the Dubs' cap sheet until Kuminga's situation is figured out because Golden State needs every dollar below the first apron to maintain flexibility in discussions.

If the Warriors were to sign players to minimum deals or utilize their mid-level exception in Horford's case, then any other team could swoop in and sign Kuminga to an offer sheet. As a result, Golden State would be in "checkmate" since they wouldn't be able to match Kuminga's deal with another team.

In recent days, it has also become clear that the Warriors' interest in Seth Curry , Steph's brother, is mutual. Seth was a player we reported on last week for Golden State , with league personnel beginning to link him to the Dubs during NBA Summer League.

While anything is possible, the Kuminga situation isn't expected to have a clear resolution entering August. Until either side budges or a team swoops in with a valid sign-and-trade offer, the Warriors will continue to go around in circles with the young forward.

A return to the Warriors is still in play. Should this occur, then all eyes will shift to January 15, the date when Kuminga would become available to be dealt before February's trade deadline.

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