With only nine of their 15 roster spots officially filled two weeks prior to team training camp, the Golden State Warriors' stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga continues into mid-September without a resolution.
Ahead of the team's October 1 deadline, the Warriors reportedly offered Kuminga a $75.2 million deal, including a team-option for the third year. He declined this proposal, which leads to questions about Kuminga potentially accepting his $7.9 million qualifying offer as we inch closer to October 1, the last day for him to accept the one-year deal.
That qualifying offer, which is worth roughly $8 million for the 2025-26 season, keeps Kuminga in control of his immediate future, as Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN noted on Monday.
“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. It has become an extension league and Kuminga would be declining a larger set salary number to extend off into his next deal.”
The back-and-forth between Kuminga and the Warriors has existed since before the free-agency window opened on June 30. No progress has been made on a new deal, which is why ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel continues to suggest that Kuminga will ultimately accept his qualifying offer.
Siegel reported recently that Golden State's mindset has not changed regarding their contract proposal structure to Kuminga and how the young forward has felty disrespected by such decisions.
“At the end of the day, Kuminga wants to feel valued, and the Warriors haven't given him ample reasons to want to stay,” Siegel wrote at the start of September.
Many have speculated throughout the offseason that Kuminga's unwillingness to commit to the Warriors stems from the belief that the team views the 2021 first-round pick as a trade piece rather than a building block toward the future.
As a result, his long-term future remains a mystery.
Will Warriors reach a long-term deal with Jonathan Kuminga?
It is not secret that Kuminga wants to continue his career elsewhere.
Although he has put together some great performances in a Warriors uniform, Kuminga has his eyes set on controlling his own destiny in 2026 free agency.
“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 reported recently.
Then again, would Kuminga regret betting on himself and leaving approximately $15.3 million on the table by declining the Warriors' deals and accepting his qualifying offer?
All that matters to Kuminga is feeling valued, and he wants to continue his career in a situation where he can utilize his full potential.
“Kuminga has stated a belief that he has multitime All-Star potential. He has lined up loss of value insurance to protect himself in the event he signs the qualifying offer,” Slater and Charania of ESPN added. “He's intrigued by the possibility of unrestricted free agency next summer, sources said, when at least 10 teams are set to have real cap space. He isn't obsessing over every lost dollar in the moment and sees the qualifying offer as a clean vehicle for career control.
“Rival teams, most notably the Kings and Suns, have recruited him this summer and his conversations with executives and coaches and others around the league have only emboldened his long-term belief that the risk could be worth the reward,” Slater and Charania concluded.
With the Warriors shutting the door on all Kuminga sign-and-trade possibilities, options are running out between now and their October 1 deadline for the 22-year-old's qualifying offer.
