Fans aren't the only ones wondering about Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga's future with his team, as Jimmy Butler has reportedly reached out about the stalemate between the 2021 first-round pick and the front office. Less than two weeks before training camp, Kuminga's upcoming season remains uncertain as to whether he'll stay with Golden State for one more season, work out a sign-and-trade, or agree to a long-term extension.
Amidst the standoff between Kuminga and the Warriors, Butler wants to know what the plan is for his team's future, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson, he said, per the Dub Talk podcast.
“I can confidently say that Jimmy Butler has also reached out to the team and been like, ‘What’s going on here? I just want to know the plan,’” Johnson said on the podcast. “And of course, Steph [Curry], Draymond, Jimmy, they’re in the loop, I understand that. But I think Jimmy, as someone who came on last year and kind of showed, ‘All right, you took care of me, all the drama’s done, all the Miami stuff, it’s just basketball for me. I’m all about basketball. When I’m on the contract for you, it’s about basketball.’
“And now I think he’s saying, ‘Hey, show me that it’s all about basketball. We have two weeks until training camp. So either just pay him or move him. Like, there needs to be a decision.’”
Amidst Kuminga's contract negotiations with the Warriors, it already feels like a distraction for the team, which is what some are afraid will last throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Why Jonathan Kuminga hasn't accepted Warriors' qualifying offer
Ahead of his October 1 deadline, some believe Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga is hoping he'll land elsewhere in a sign-and-trade deal. However, if the Warriors plan to keep Kuminga in hopes of moving him in a trade at some point throughout next season, he would have the power to veto a trade, as ESPN's Anthony Slater and Shams Charania noted.
“Kuminga's greatest leverage is the one-year, $8 million qualifying offer, attached to an inherent no-trade clause,” Slater and Charania said. “As the summer has dragged on and the discomfort in these negotiations has grown further, Kuminga has warmed further to the idea. The decision to sign it could very well play out up to the Oct. 1 deadline unless either side caves.
“The financial drawbacks are straightforward. Kuminga would be turning down as much as $15.3 million extra next season and risking a career spiral that never allows him to recoup that money.”
Perhaps Kuminga is holding out for a potential Warriors trade between now and October 1.
