The Golden State Warriors are expected to “cave” to Jonathan Kuminga in their contract stalemate.
Jonathan Kuminga has ground the Golden State Warriors’ offseason to a halt. Kuminga won’t sign the two-year, $45 million deal currently on the table. He has concerns about being traded after scarcely featuring on the back end of last season, and believes the Warriors stunted his growth.
Kuminga holds all the cards. He has interest around the league for either a trade, or as a free agency pick-up next summer. All he has to do is opt into a $7.9 million quali fying offer for next season. Then he’s free to leave in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are unwilling to officially sign any of their incoming free agents until Kuminga’s contract is resolved. But Kuminga has no incentive to come to an agreement quickly, and frustrations are beginning to surface in Stephen Curry’s corner.
An NBA reporter thinks there’s only one way this ends.
All roads seem to be headed in a positive direction for Kuminga. Either he gets the contract he wants from the Warriors or he’s sent to another team through a sign-and-trade. Kuminga would have to agree to that. Failing that, Kuminga can opt into the qualifying offer and become a free agent.
The latter would be disastrous for Golden State. The qualifying offer’s salary would make Kuminga a practically untradeable asset. He’d walk for nothing.
KUMINGA BLOCK.
— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2025
KUMINGA AND-1.
He's got 6 in the first of Game 3 on ABC pic.twitter.com/WMwTGplWEu
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale expects the Warriors to meet Kuminga’s wishes of trade security, as their young talent has all the leverage. He wrote, “One of these sides is going to blink first. And it’s going to be the Warriors.
“Letting Kuminga sign his qualifying offer would be disastrous. He would be freshly angry and have the right to veto any trade, and his next team wouldn’t own his Bird rights. That eliminates any possibility of Golden State receiving adequate compensation for his services.
“Expect the Warriors to cave in some form. Short of juicing his annual salary into the $30 million range, a two-year contract with a team option will end up being out of the question.”
The underlying narrative not only of this contract saga, but for the entire NBA offseason, has been the uncertainty surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks future.
Teams believe the Greek superstar could become a free agent in 2027. The Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets have kept one eye on the f uture and won’t commit to large salaries going into that offseason.
The Rockets have been hesitant to sign Kevin Durant to a big deal. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ free agent signings have been one and two-year contracts. Everyone is keeping their books open, including the Warriors.
It’s no coincidence that Golden State is dead set on a two-year deal for Kuminga. They do not want him signed to a $20 million+ per year contract if Antetokounmpo becomes available. But it seems Kuminga may force their hand.
“Giannis could play like peak Jordan next season, this team is not winning 50 games.”—@BigWos
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) August 19, 2025
Wos and I feel way differently about the Bucks. I’m higher on them. But I totally see his point about other East teams improving a lot too. https://t.co/HhUQjed3bI pic.twitter.com/6W0s3jMzAh
The Warriors face a choice. Sign Kuminga long-term to avoid losing him for nothing, repair burned bridges and attempt to develop him into a star. Or, let him walk and buy a ticket to the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
The difficulty is that without a return for Kuminga, they might not be an attractive destination. Antetokounmpo wants to win championships , and in 2027 Curry will be 39, meanwhile Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green will be 37.
They need to get young, fast if they want to show Antetokounmpo they can compete in the West, and to do so they can’t lose Kuminga for nothing.
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