NBA GM Points to Real Problem in Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga Stalemate

The saga of Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga drags on now into mid-August, which was a predictable situation once the team decided against trading him at the February deadline. Good players who get to restricted free agency are almost always in an impossible situation, without leverage and relying on the good graces of team owners to give them fair market value.

Kuminga is a good player, and though he is clearly not worth the $30 million per year he was reportedly seeking, he is also worth a lot more than the one-year, $8 million qualifying offer he could sign for next season to get him to unrestricted free agency in 2026.

Kuminga averaged 15.3 points on 45.4% shooting last year, as season that was marred by injury and interfered with by the arrival of Jimmy Butler in a deadline trade. At 22, the upside is there, but his future in Golden State is questionable.

Warriors' Lacob Respnsible for Kuminga 'Fallout'

While it is not a bad problem to have, a good young player you're trying to figure out what to do with, the Warriors are as much painted into a corner on Kuminga as he is. Golden State does not want to bring him back on the qualifying offer--they'd be setting themselves up to lose him with minimal return in that case.

The blame for the situation, the GM says, falls to owner Joe Lacob, who has been a strident supporter of Kuminga and thwarted past trades.

"Lacob has been a great owner for them, he got the new building (the Chase Center), he raised that whole franchise, you've got to give him that," the GM said. "But it's dangerous for a front office when the owner falls in love with a player and that's what happened here. What they're dealing with now is the fallout of that."

The GM pointed out that it's fine when the owner "falls in love with Steph Curry," but that allegiance to role players puts GMs in a tough spot.

"They have had plenty of chances to trade Jonathan Kuminga in the last two or three years, and even longer than that," the GM said. "They were willing to do it and do it at a time when you could have gotten value for him, a pick and a player, that kind of thing. But (Locob) would not hear it.

"We're past that kind of move now. They're going to wind up with pennies on the dollar for Kuminga, and that is on the owner."