The Golden State Warriors have had a contentious offseason. The front office is still searching for a solution amidst forward Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency, and has not been able to fill out the rest of their roster as a result.
Despite the stalemate, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler have reached out to Kuminga as he and his agent, Aaron Turner, attempt to strike a deal with the franchise.
“Kuminga is the domino that triggers the rest of their plans. So, it's no surprise Kuminga's phone lit up on the business front over the past few weeks,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania wrote. “His star teammates Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green have reached out, checking on Kuminga, his plans, and his mindset. Kuminga's agent, Turner, has delivered the latest proposals from the front office after a week of increased negotiations.”
Kuminga and Turner met with general manager Mike Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but were unable to reach an agreement. The two parties are largely expected to find a temporary solution, but the process has kept Golden State from making other transactions.
Curry, Green, and Butler understand the circumstances and the expected course of action. While the Warriors have not made any official moves, they have a plan for how they will proceed once Kuminga's situation is resolved.
“The Warriors have planned to at least use their taxpayer midlevel — Al Horford is the target — and have had strong discussions with veterans De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Seth Curry, sources said. It's why Curry, Butler and Green are not agitating behind the scenes. They know the strategy, sources said, and have approved that anticipated result,” Slater and Charania wrote.
“But the tentative plan hard caps them at the second apron and means $22.5 million is the most they could give Kuminga next season while holding 15 rostered players, a figure that has so far proven too low for Kuminga to accept in a multiyear deal attached to a team option.”
Recently, ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel discussed how Kuminga has felt “undervalued” by the Warriors throughout this offseason's negotiation process, leading to the notion that he is eyeing free agency in 2026, regardless of the outcome.
“Unless Golden State was willing to offer him a long-term deal in the $25 million to $30 million per year range this offseason, Kuminga and his representation have had their eyes set on 2026 free agency, when multiple teams will have a lot of cap space to pursue the athletic forward,” Siegel wrote at the start of September.
With Kuminga's status in limbo and negotiating tactics not working for either side, the young forward may end up returning to the Dubs by accepting his qualifying offer.
The Warriors will begin training camp and set their eyes on the preseason in roughly two weeks, and they still have just nine players under contract.
