The Golden State Warriors and forward Jonathan Kuminga have not come to terms on a contract for the 2025-26 season.
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The 22-year-old is a restricted free agent and is essentially limited to two options: Kuminga is eligible to accept a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer from the Warriors or he can sign the two-year, $45 million deal with a team option the Warriors have reported offered.
The expected outcome in the contract saga is Kuminga accepting the qualifying offer since it would allow him to test the free agent market following the 2025-26 season. He would be taking a pay cut, but the forward would have more control over his future.
Both parties have not budged throughout the offseason, and it has had major implications on the rest of the Warriors roster. Golden State has not made any moves in free agency because the team needs to resolve the situation with Kuminga first.
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As he enters his fifth season in the NBA, there is still not a firm decision on what Kuminga's role will be with the Warriors this season. The forward has expressed disinterest in being used as a scapegoat for Golden State, which is why the negotiations have not made any progress given both parties are reluctant to blink first.
Kuminga was the recipient of a harsh message from ESPN's Kendrick Perkins as the Oct. 1 deadline to accept the qualifying offer quickly approaches.
"I don't know if Jonathan Kuminga watches NBA Today, but they don't want you, dawg," Perkins said. "They don't value you because if they did, you wouldn't be going through this. And it started last season, Steve Kerr showed you how he felt about you."
Last season, Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc in 47 games.
While Kuminga is valuable for the Golden State squad, the front office has made it clear it won't be bullied into a certain contract for the forward. If the two sides perhaps agreed on a longer deal that benefited both Kuminga and the Warriors, then the situation would not have dragged on this long.
Nevertheless, with the Oct. 1 qualifying offer deadline looming, something has to give.
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