The Golden State Warriors’ entire offseason has unfortunately been solely focused on one player. Restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has not put pen to paper on the two offers that the Warriors have put forward.
That, considering the Warriors are a luxury tax team, have meant that no signings have been made during free agency despite firm interest in veterans such as Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton. Now, insider Anthony Slater has shed light on the “renewed efforts” Golden State has put in.
“There’s been renewed efforts, genuine efforts this week to try to get it over the finish line. I think the Josh Giddey contract, four years, a $100 million, provided a little bit of extra motivation for the talks,” he explained during his appearance on NBA Today.
Slater explained that a singular difference between the Chicago Bulls-Josh Giddey situation and the Warriors-Kuminga situation has led to the holdup. While the Bulls see Giddey as their starting point guard for the future, Kuminga is well aware that the Warriors are likely to move him in the coming time.
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“The Warriors are trying to get him on this very team-friendly deal and Kuminga clearly knows he is not like Josh Giddey walking into a guaranteed starting job. So, that is what continues, month after month, to halt this thing up,” Slater explained.
Kuminga has a one-year $7.9 million qualifying offer, as well as a two-year $45 million deal on the table. While signing the qualifying offer makes sense as it gives him the most control over his future in the form of unrestricted free agency next year, the direction in which the player is leaning remains unclear.
The Warriors know they need to find a solution quickly in order to actually make the improvements they want to their roster. However, despite the renewed efforts, it seems as if the situation is still the same.