In today’s Dub Hub:
The Golden State Warriors’ approach to Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency will be a defining part of their offseason—especially if a sign-and-trade comes into play. With most teams lacking the cap space to sign Kuminga outright, a sign-and-trade would be the most realistic option if the fourth-year wing decides he wants to leave Golden State.
However, as The Athletic’s Anthony Slater detailed in a recent article, the mechanics behind such a deal are more complicated than they appear.
Via The Athletic:
Basically: If Kuminga’s next deal starts at $30 million, his next team absorbs it as such, but the Warriors would be looking at a $15 million incoming match. They could exceed it by 125 percent ($18.75 million in this scenario), but if they were to take a dollar more than the theoretical match ($15 million in this scenario), they’d be hard-capped at the first apron.
These limitations significantly restrict the Warriors’ options in constructing a potential trade, forcing them to either accept a lesser return than Kuminga’s perceived value or risk triggering a hard cap at the first apron. Because of this, Slater notes that re-signing Kuminga and potentially trading him closer to the deadline might be the cleaner route.
Whichever direction they choose, how the Warriors handle Kuminga’s next contract will shape the course of their entire offseason.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, May 29th:
Warriors News:
What’s the latest intel on Jonathan Kuminga and his uncertain Warriors’ future? | The Athletic
Leaving all the accounting intricacies to the side, here’s what matters: That combination punch (the base-year rule plus first-apron cap) significantly limits the amount of sign-and-trade opportunities that can realistically be executed.
Other salaries (at full price) could be added. The Warriors’ front office, Kuminga’s representatives and the league are expected to explore all options into July. But team sources have been hinting that, because of these market and financial restrictions, there’s a likely world where the most obvious and prudent path is for them to bring Kuminga back and figure the rest out later.
The Summer of Trades | The Stein Line
Two-thirds of the league will begin the new salary cap year underneath the luxury tax line, which could likewise help fuel some sign-and-trade activity. Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, to name one prominent example, might need the sign-and-trade route to finally land the sort of contract he seeks.
Nets GM Sean Marks has chased restricted free agents before, like Otto Porter Jr. and Allen Crabbe, but what if the Nets decline to extend offer sheets to RFAs this summer? Kuminga in particular would be all but forced to find a sign-and-trade.
Warriors announce Brandin Podziemski underwent wrist surgery on Tuesday
5 Potential NBA Trades Nobody Is Talking About From Jaylen Brown to Jarrett Allen | Bleacher Report
Let’s say Kuminga’s new starting salary is $25 million. That’ll be the incoming figure for Chicago, but it only counts as $12.5 million in outgoing salary for Golden State. That $25 million figure is right in the range where a Warriors-Bulls deal involving White could work. Any higher or lower, and the parties would have to add money via additional players to hit the sweet spot.
Considering White has played at fringe All-Star levels the past two years, the Warriors might need to include a pick. Then again, Kuminga’s upside might result in draft capital heading the other way, depending on his salary figure. We’ll just leave this as a straight-up swap for now.
Warriors reveal schedule for this year’s California Classic hosted at the Chase Center
NBA News:
Thunder oust Wolves in 5, roll into first NBA Finals since ‘12 | ESPN
The Thunder cruised to a 124-94 win Wednesday night to close out the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. They became the second-youngest team (average age of 25.6 years old) to advance to the Finals, trailing only the Portland Trail Blazers’ 1976-77 championship team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
In the process, Oklahoma City passed a test on handling playoff prosperity and celebrated another big step toward its championship goals with a boisterous sellout crowd at the Paycom Center.
“The focus through the distraction of a closeout game to go to the Finals is what was most impressive,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I mean, they were laser focused today, and that allowed our best to come to the surface.”
Every NBA Team’s Toughest Upcoming Financial Decision | Bleacher Report
The Jazz fell as far as possible from the No. 1 spot in the lottery. Instead of landing a potential franchise player like Cooper Flagg, they may face another year of dour basketball ahead. Their focus would be on developing young players, as they have done in recent years.
Given Lauri Markkanen’s age (almost 28) and Walker Kessler’s extension-eligibility, the Jazz need to decide on one or both of their bigs this offseason.
Projection: The Jazz shop Markkanen before the season. They wait on extending Kessler and decide whether to keep him in restricted free agency in 2026.
Clippers are expected to ‘show interest’ in trading for Celtics’ guard Jrue Holiday
The Clippers are expected to show interest in Jrue Holiday, per @BrianTRobb
“Holiday is expected to be pursued by several teams on the trade market, and a league source tells MassLive that the Los Angeles Clippers are one team expected to show interest in the 34-year-old guard… pic.twitter.com/FEZmw9cLwL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 28, 2025
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
A look at the Warriors’ first batch of second-round candidates
Kobe Johnson is the brother of the Atlanta Hawks’ Jalen Johnson, a 23-year-old rising star who is about to start a five-year, $150M contract next season. The younger Johnson is a 22-year-old, 6-foot-6, 200-pound combo guard who spent three years at USC before transferring to UCLA for his senior year.
Johnson’s calling card is his defense. He made the Big Ten All-Defensive team last season, averaging 1.6 steals per game. It was the third year he was an all-conference defender in four college seasons. He’s a 36.2 percent three-point shooter, doing most of his damage from the corners, and is reportedly a solid passer. This is a classic three-and-D prospect, one who isn’t a high-usage player on offense. The questions comes in whether the Warriors think he can live up to the “three” part.
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