The Golden State Warriors’ contract standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has now begun to impact the status of multiple veteran players linked to the team, including Al Horford. According to NBC Sports’ Monte Poole, Horford and other veterans are “quietly pleading for clarity” as the organization and Kuminga remain locked in stalled negotiations.
Poole reported this week that the re-signings of fellow restricted free agents Josh Giddey with the Chicago Bulls and Cam Thomas with the Brooklyn Nets have had no bearing on Golden State’s talks with Kuminga. Giddey agreed to a four-year, $100 million deal while Thomas signed a one-year, $6 million contract.
“The stalemate between Kuminga and the Warriors remains precisely that, but they are steadily creeping toward resolution if only because every minute brings them closer to an Oct. 1 deadline,” Poole wrote. “The initial reaction to Cam Thomas returning to the Brooklyn Nets and Josh Giddey re-signing with the Chicago Bulls is to ponder whether that impacts the Warriors and Kuminga. The answer is, um, complicated.”
Jonathan Kuminga leans toward qualifying offer as Warriors resist long-term commitment
Kuminga, 22, is coming off his fourth NBA season, averaging 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while taking a step forward as both a scorer and defender. Golden State has reportedly held firm on a two-year, $45 million offer that includes a team option in the second year. The deal would also force Kuminga to waive his no-trade clause, a sticking point that has led the forward to lean toward accepting his $7.99 million qualifying offer instead.
That path would give Kuminga veto power over trades this season and allow him to test unrestricted free agency next summer, a scenario that would significantly shift the Warriors’ roster flexibility.
Poole emphasized the distinction between Kuminga’s negotiations and other RFAs like Giddey and Thomas, pointing out that Golden State and Kuminga “do not share the same dream” of a long-term partnership. While it is possible he returns under the qualifying offer, the team’s reluctance to meet his market value has left the situation unresolved as the Oct. 1 deadline nears.
Al Horford and other veterans left waiting as Warriors stall on Kuminga resolution
ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel also reported last week that Kuminga “has essentially been handcuffed by the Dubs as a restricted free agent this offseason,” noting that talks have remained far apart since free agency began. Siegel wrote that Golden State’s offer is structured to preserve trade value, giving the team flexibility ahead of February’s deadline but leaving Kuminga without leverage over his own future.
Unless the Warriors pivot to a longer-term contract worth between $25 million and $30 million annually, Kuminga’s representation is believed to be eyeing 2026 free agency when more teams will have cap space to pursue him.
Meanwhile, veterans such as Horford, Malcolm Brogdon, and De’Anthony Melton remain in the background. Reports have linked all three to Golden State since July, but their situations are directly tied to the outcome of Kuminga’s negotiations.
With just under a month before the Warriors open the 2025–26 season against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 21, the franchise faces mounting pressure to resolve Kuminga’s status. Until then, Horford and other veterans continue to wait, pressing for clarity on where they stand in Golden State’s roster plans.
