Jonathan Kuminga’s upcoming restricted free agency has been hanging over the Golden State Warriors organization like a storm cloud since their 2025 postseason elimination at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.
The 22-year-old’s immediate future was thrown into further uncertainty after his marvelous showing in the team’s five-game series against the Timberwolves, as he contributed 20.8 points while boasting an excellent 63.5% true shooting percentage.
Kuminga showed flashes of superstardom in the 2025 NBA Playoffs when given the chance to shine, and it may have been enough for the Warriors to keep him around a little while longer.
According to recent reports from NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole, Golden State might be interested in retaining the rights to their star wing heading into the 2025-26 season.
“Well, the tea leaves, as well as scuttlebutt around the NBA is that the Warriors very likely will find a way to hang onto JK,” Poole told show host Bonta Hill during a Tuesday episode of the Dubs Talk podcast.
“(This) doesn’t mean that he’s going to be a long-term answer, you know, that they could just move him later.”
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“What seems pretty clear in talking to people is that, even the people who, I guess you can say are JK backers with the Warriors, don’t see him as a guy that’s going to lead them to championships.”
Kuminga authored a solid 2024-25 regular-season campaign despite missing 31 consecutive games due to a severe ankle injury. In 47 appearances, the high-flying wing averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, though his efficiency cratered from a 52.9% field goal percentage in 2023-24 to a 45.4% mark this season.
Even still, the Warriors’ former No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft blossomed into a truly important force in the playoffs and did plenty to create sign-and-trade buzz for this offseason.
With the Warriors now possibly looking to reintroduce Kuminga into the fold alongside 4-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, 6-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, the young ball-dominant scorer might become a more relied-upon figure in the team’s rotation next season.
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