With only nine of their 15 roster spots officially filled two weeks prior to team training camp, the Golden State Warriors' stalement with Jonathan Kuminga continues into mid-September without a resolution. Ahead of the team's October 1 deadline, the Warriors reportedly offered Kuminga a $75.2 million deal, including a team-option for the third year, which he declined, as we inch closer to October 1, the last day for Jonathan to accept a qualfying offer.
That qualifying offer, which is worth $8 million for 2025-26, keeps Kuminga in control of his immediate future, as The Athletic's Anthony Slater and ESPN's Shams Charania noted.
“KUMINGA'S GREATEST LEVERAGE is the one-year, $8 million qualifying offer, attached to an inherent no-trade clause,” Slater and Charania said. “As the summer has dragged on and the discomfort in these negotiations has grown further, Kuminga has warmed further to the idea. The decision to sign it could very well play out up to the Oct. 1 deadline unless either side caves.
“The financial drawbacks are straightforward. Kuminga would be turning down as much as $15.3 million extra next season and risking a career spiral that never allows him to recoup that money. It has become an extension league and Kuminga would be declining a larger set salary number to extend off into his next deal.”
Many speculate Kuminga's unwillingness to commit to the Warriors long-term stems from the belief that the team views the 2021 first-round pick as a trade piece next season rather than a building block toward the future.
Will Warriors reach a long-term deal with Jonathan Kuminga?
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Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) holds onto the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Many believe Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga could be eyeing 2026's free agency as the next step to controlling his destiny. Still, there's no guarantee he'd be able to recoup the approximately $15.3 million he'd be leaving on the table heading into 2025-26.
“Kuminga has stated a belief that he has multitime All-Star potential. He has lined up loss of value insurance to protect himself in the event he signs the qualifying offer,” Slater and Charania added. “He's intrigued by the possibility of unrestricted free agency next summer, sources said, when at least 10 teams are set to have real cap space. He isn't obsessing over every lost dollar in the moment and sees the qualifying offer as a clean vehicle for career control.
“Rival teams, most notably the Kings and Suns, have recruited him this summer and his conversations with executives and coaches and others around the league have only emboldened his long-term belief that the risk could be worth the reward,” Slater and Charania concluded.
A potential sign-and-trade is still a possibility between now and October 1.