Warriors Star Holding Up Move To Add Former Champion: Report

Through most of the 2025 NBA offseason, the Golden State Warriors have been linked to Al Horford.

Although the Warriors are ‘widely expected’ to sign Horford for next season, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga is holding up the move. According to Siegel, Golden State has been verbally agreed to deals for Horford and De’Anthony Melton, but Kuminga’s uncertain status is delaying things from becoming official. 

“Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton are widely expected to sign with the Warriors, sources said.  A handful of teams at NBA Summer League stated Horford and Melton already have verbal agreements in place with Golden State,” Siegel wrote on X. “Jonathan Kuminga’s situation is holding these deals up.”

Earlier in the summer, it was reported that Kuminga was interested in a bigger role on a different team. While he remains unsigned or traded for next year, the Warriors are unable to add the former NBA champion Horford.

The Warriors Would Love To Add Horford

Golden State needs a center, and Horford would likely come in as their starter, despite entering his 19th year in the league. The Warriors lost longtime big man Kevon Looney in free agency, and currently they have Quinten Post as the only true center on their roster. 

The 39-year-old Horford averaged nine points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 60 games for the Boston Celtics last season. While he isn’t putting up the numbers he did in his prime, Horford’s defense was massive on Boston winning the 2024 NBA title, and would come as a major help for a Warriors team with little to no rim protection. 

Golden State has been adamant that they are prioritizing winning now with their core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler, and Horford would slide right into a lineup that would likely also feature either Buddy Hield or Brandin Podziemski. 

The center would likely come in on a veteran minimum contract or something in the range of $3 million to $8 million, hugely benefiting a Warriors team that has the highest payroll in the NBA. 

Kuminga Wants A Change

Kuminga remains one of the top free agents still unsigned for next season. After his rookie deal for four years and $24 million expired after the 2024-25 season, The Athletic reported that the wing is looking for an increased role going forward. 

“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,” Kuminga said to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “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.”

On a team with multiple future Hall of Fame players, Kuminga isn’t expected to get the amount of shots or money that he seemingly is hoping for. While Curry and Butler were the Warriors’ leading scorers in the second half of the season and the playoffs, Kuminga still was impactful, but not to the degree he wants in the future. 

However, the Warriors haven’t agreed to a deal, nor have they made a sign and trade to send him elsewhere. With Kuminga remaining an unsigned restricted free agent, it has cooled the Warriors’ chances at making the Horford move.