Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors just made media day a storyline instead of a formality. Multiple reports say Kuminga won’t be in the building on Monday as his contract standoff with Golden State drags on, a decision that underscores how far apart the sides remain after a summer of posturing, proposals, and not much progress.
He didn’t travel to San Francisco this weekend, per ESPN, and there’s no momentum toward a resolution before the first practice.
This isn’t a garden-variety holdout. Jonathan Kuminga is a restricted free agent, which gives the Warriors matching rights, but it also gives the 22-year-old leverage in the form of a one-year qualifying offer. That offer, roughly $8 million, expires Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
If Kuminga signs it, he gets an inherent no-trade clause and hits unrestricted free agency in 2026. If he doesn’t, the Warriors will risk losing him for nothing next summer. That clock is the drumbeat under everything right now.
Where are the numbers? Well, Golden State has three offers on the table. The two richest, two years, $45 million, and three years, $75.2 million, include team options on the final season.
The third, three years and $54 million, is the only one without a team option. Kuminga’s camp has pushed for a player option or for the overall money to climb if the team controls the out. That’s the crux: security and agency versus flexibility and cap planning.
There are ripple effects, too. The Warriors have been slow-playing other business while they wait out the stalemate, even as Al Horford delivered a multiyear commitment.
The veteran center’s final number can’t be set, and he can’t sign or practice, until the Kuminga piece settles. Deals for Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton are also tied to how the ledger looks after Kuminga decides.
Trade chatter? It’s out there, but cold for now. There were some conversations with the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, and separate reporting has the Kings renewing interest as an outside suitor if the situation truly frays.
Jonathan Kuminga wants protection that reflects his role and trajectory. The next 72 hours decide whose leverage hits hardest: a qualifying-offer pivot that puts all the risk on Golden State, or a compromise that brings their most dynamic young piece back into the building in time to start stacking reps.
