Kuminga Leaving Warriors Hanging

The Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga are having a potentially costly staring contest this offseason.

Kuminga’s restricted free agency has essentially put the Warriors’ offseason on pause, according to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania.

“They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves,” Charania said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on July 24. “I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami. He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout.”

However, Kuminga told Charania that he is in “absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now” while mulling all options, including a sign-and-trade that is available in the market.

The Warriors remain the only NBA team that has not made any signings in free agency, with only nine players under contract for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Kuminga and the Warriors are far apart in extension talks, just like last year when they did not come to terms and let the former No. 7 pick go into the season without a new contract.

So, here they are still trying to sort out things that have been dragging on and holding off the Warriors’ other free agency moves.

How Much Jonathan Kuminga Wants in Next Contract

NBA insider Jake Fischer previously reported that the Warriors are not keen on meeting Kuminga’s asking price.

“His agent Aaron Turner has held numerous discussions with Warriors officials in Las Vegas, league sources tell The Stein Line, with the hope of securing a contract — even a short-term contract — that pays at least $25 million in average annual salary … whether that’s to stay with the Warriors or switch teams via sign-and-trade,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on July 17.

The Warriors “have expressed reluctance to go that high in price over a long-term agreement,” Fischer added, citing league sources agreement,” Fischer added, citing league sources.

Since then, communication has been sparse between the two camps, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole reported on July 23, citing league sources.

‘Not a Guy Who Can Play 38 Minutes’

Kuminga’s season ended with a bang, averaging 24.3 points on 55.4% overall shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line. But the Warriors lost all of them, leading to a second-round exit for the Warriors.

Kuminga was benched in their first-round win against the Houston Rockets and did not play until Jimmy Butler suffered a glute injury. In the second round, Kuminga, again, was glued to the bench until Stephen Curry went down with a hamstring injury in Game 1.

The former lottery pick became a “situational” player in the Warriors’ most important games of the season, which explicitly showed how Steve Kerr views the 22-year-old forward.

Then, after the season ended, Kerr addressed the elephant in the room.

“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” on Wednesday, May 21. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have, Steph [Curry], Jimmy [Butler], and Draymond [Green], and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”

Tricky Sign-and-Trade

If they are not going to find a compromise, a sign-and-trade is the other path to resolve this matter. However, a quick in the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the lack of interest in Kuminga are further complicating a sign-and-trade.

The final figure in a new contract for Kuminga will also matter to the team that will trade for him because of a quirk in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Only 50% of his outgoing salary counts for matching purposes. But his full salary counts as the incoming salary for whichever team acquires him.

For example, if Kuminga signs for $25 million annual average salary, the Warriors can only trade him for a player or players worth just $12.5 million. Their trade partner, on the other hand, will absorb the full $25 million in their books.