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Jonathan Kuminga Makes Bold Announcement About Warriors Future

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 12:03 PM ET

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga's impending restricted free agency could be the primary pivot point of the club's 2025 offseason.

The 6-foot-8 pro was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and has shown plenty of promise as an intriguing athletic force.

Along with then-fellow rookie lottery pick Moses Moody, Kuminga won a championship during his first NBA season with Golden State in 2022. Although neither played much of a role in that run, it was anticipated that they, Jordan Poole, and center James Wiseman would be critical contributors to the club's "two timelines" approach to its future.

Essentially, the young developing players would grow alongside incumbent All-Stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and at the time Klay Thompson.

That didn't quite happen. Wiseman and Poole are long gone (as is Thompson), Moody inked a three-year, $39 million contract extension and has emerged as a fun role player, and Kuminga's upside remains interesting, but he had been in and out of head coach Steve Kerr's rotations in 2024-25.

Golden State got sick of waiting for Kuminga or Moody to take an All-Star leap, so the team traded to a ready-made All-Star in Jimmy Butler midway through the year.

Butler's addition pushed Kuminga further down Kerr's rotation, and he was a healthy scratch at times. The Warriors fell in the second round of the playoffs.

Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Kuminga still projects a high ceiling for himself, and appears to be prioritizing major minutes over a future with Golden State.

Spent time with Jonathan Kuminga in Cleveland. He wants a chance to be a featured scorer/creator.

“It don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see.”https://t.co/5qz94R4rrE
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 25, 2025

“Things take time, but I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on. Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great," Kuminga said of his ambitions about his next contract. "Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see. I’ve never got that chance.”

As a restricted free agent, Kuminga is ostensibly under Warriors control, but it certainly seems possible he could be moved in a sign-and-trade deal.

“I trust my people, trust my agent (Aaron Turner),” Kuminga added. “I want to know more about how this trade stuff goes, how this sign-and-trade goes or how this contract goes. I want to learn more about it. But most of the time I just focus on playing, just working. The better I get, wherever I get my chance, it’s going to show.

“Wherever I go, wherever I’ll be, off the rip, I just want them to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, he deserved what he got. He deserved to be here. He worked hard for it.’ Wherever it is, that’s what I want it to feel like," Kuminga said. "I want to be great. I feel like I’m capable of being that, capable of doing some special things and I won’t just let it go like that. The only way to get there is just to lock in every single day.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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