The Golden State Warriors and restricuted free agent Jonathan Kuminga have not yet reached a resolution as their contract saga drags on.
Read more:Jonathan Kuminga 'Strongly Considering' One Offer From Warriors
As a result, the Warriors have yet to make any moves in free agency with just nine players currently on their roster. While Golden State has been reluctant to accept any sign-and-trade offers for Kuminga, there was speculation the Chicago Bulls could be a suitable partner given their recent deal with Josh Giddey.
However, while NBA insider Jake Fischer dismissed the notion of a sign-and-trade between the Warriors and Bulls, he said there is reason to believe Kuminga could land in the Windy City following the 2025-26 season.
"Don't dismiss Chicago completely as a future landing spot for Kuminga," Fischer writes. "The Bulls are projected to have significant salary cap space next summer and there will be more teams compared to this summer's barren marketplace. Those are among the factors that have Kuminga's camp, I'm told, strongly considering the same route that [Cam] Thomas went and accepting the $7.9 million qualifying offer from Golden State that expires Oct. 1."
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With Kuminga expected to take the qualifying offer from the Warriors, the forward would be able to test the free agent market following the 2025-26 season. It would be a pay cut for the 22-year-old, but it appears to be the more favorable route for him.
"Make no mistake: Kuminga's preference at this stage would be hashing out a longer deal that both parties can live with, but there simply hasn't been much movement in those talks," Fischer added. "Sources say that there has been little substantive dialogue between the two sides since it emerged weeks ago that the Warriors were pushing a two-year, $45 million deal structure in which Golden State holds a team option for Year 2 and strips Kuminga of the right to grant consent on trades in Year 1.
"Yet there is a sense, coming from those connected to both sides of these negotiations, that we could finally see some movement on the Kuminga front next week."
The contract negotiations between the Warriors and Kuminga have been at a standstill for months, but once the saga reaches its denouement, the team will likely make a flurry of moves to round out their roster.
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