Jonathan Kuminga's time with the Golden State Warriors could come to an end soon, as he hits restricted free agency this offseason. While the Warriors would ideally like to retain Kuminga, NBA insider Brett Siegel reports that the asking price is quite high.
"The Warriors have made it clear that they want to maintain financial flexibility moving forward. Keeping Kuminga would come at a significant cost for Golden State, as he wants a deal that pays him over $30 million per year, sources said."
That is a huge financial commitment. Stephen Curry ($59.6 million) and Jimmy Butler ($54.1 million) are, as of now, the only Warriors who will make more than $30 million in 2025-26, so Kuminga is looking to be the third-highest-paid player on the team. You'd imagine the top brass wouldn't be too keen to give him that kind of a deal.
Restricted free agency complicates matters for the Warriors, though. If a team like the Brooklyn Nets, which has a lot of cap space, decides to put a massive offer on the table for Kuminga, they'll have to match it. If they don't, he will leave for nothing, and that would be a disastrous outcome.
Kuminga, the seventh pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, hasn't been able to establish himself as a starter on the Warriors yet, but remains a valuable asset. The 22-year-old only averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2024-25 but did step up in the playoffs.
Kuminga put up 26.3 points on 51.9% shooting from the field in the last three games of the Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 playoffs. He was the only consistent source of offense for the Warriors in Curry's absence and showed what he is capable of in a bigger role.
The timing couldn't have been much better, but it remains to be seen if any team considers Kuminga worthy of a deal worth more than $30 million a year. You'd have to be dead certain that he'll become a star to give him that kind of contract.
Kuminga certainly thinks he can become an All-Star if given the opportunity.
"I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on. Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great."
"Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see. I’ve never got that chance."
The Warriors have been a model organization for years now, but being drafted by them wasn't ideal for a player like Kuminga. Youngsters need to be given time on the court to develop and to make mistakes that they can learn from. With the Warriors chasing titles, though, that was not going to happen.
Kuminga has started more than 20 games and averaged at least 25 minutes in just one of his four seasons in the NBA. Going elsewhere might well be in his best interests, but the Warriors will, in all likelihood, hold on to him.
