The gears appear to be turning in the most consequential saga of the Golden State Warriors' offseason.
The Warriors made forward Jonathan Kuminga the $7.9 million qualifying offer Saturday morning, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. That formally ensures Kuminga will enter restricted free agency.
Kuminga, 22, has averaged 12.5 points per game for Golden State over four seasons in a variety of different roles. The seventh pick of the 2021 draft was a member of the team's 2022 championship team, though he averaged just over eight minutes per game in that postseason.
His departure from the Warriors has been a subject of intense speculation in the Bay Area, and his comments to Slater in a Wednesday interview were noncommittal.
"Things take time, but 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," Kuminga said. "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."
Due to his career's choppy statistical start, Kuminga—a G League Ignite alum—is often cited as a poster child for that program's failure. However, potential remains.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo native's options include accepting the qualifying offer, negotiating a new deal with Golden State, signing an offer sheet with another team (which the Warriors can then match), or negotiating a potential sign-and-trade deal.
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