Has too much ink been spilled talking about the restricted free agency of Golden State Warriors power forward Jonathan Kuminga, an athletic wing with obvious flaws whose head coach at one point had banned entirely from his playoff rotation this past spring?
Perhaps.
But the 6-foot-8 pro is still all of 22 years old, and his appetizing downhill scoring ability — plus his current zip code — make his story fun NBA late-summer fodder.
Warriors’ Kuminga saga is hurting other Golden State hopefuls
Kuminga has been reportedly tendered a two-year, $45 million deal by Golden State, but he may be more interested in just picking up his $7.9 million player option and thus testing out the unrestricted free agent market in 2026.
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that Kuminga is expected to go with his qualifying offer.
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“Kuminga signing the qualifying offer remains the anticipated outcome. The deadline to do so is Oct. 1,” Poole writes. “Meanwhile, Al Horford and the rest of the veterans in Golden State’s waiting room are quietly pleading for clarity.”
Horford, a former five-time All-Star who remains a solid 3-and-D big man even heading into his 19th season, and guards De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II remain indefinitely stuck without teams, even as they wait for this Golden State squad to make a decision.
“He entered September facing two options. One, accept Golden State’s qualifying offer of $7.99 million. Two, sign a two-year contract at $45 million, with a team option in Year 2,” Poole notes. “He has shown no interest in that. Kuminga has shown more interest in the qualifying offer – which gives him trade veto power and puts him on the market next summer – than the two-year deal preferred by Golden State that pays more but diminishes his leverage. A third option could be looming, but the Warriors’ payroll has much less latitude than that of the Nets.”
Still, Poole notes that Golden State aging Hall of Famers need all the help they can get, sooner rather than later. Majority owner Jacob Lacob’s “two timelines” team-building feels effectively dead, although Golden State’s savvy drafting has helped lay the groundwork for the next generation.
“With a veteran core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green – average age 36.5 years – they’re not looking beyond the next two season,” Poole adds.
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