Warriors hesitant on commitment as Jonathan Kuminga talks drag on

Talks between the Warriors and forward Jonathan Kuminga’s camp have picked up again, though a resolution doesn’t appear close.

According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who spoke Friday on NBA Today, the two sides have exchanged contract concepts in the past week. Kuminga and his representatives are said to be seeking a deal that treats him as a core piece of the Warriors’ future rather than as a potential trade chip.

“The word I’ve heard used from the Kuminga side is ‘pawn,’” Slater said. “He doesn’t want to sign this two-year, $45 million deal with a team option where he is clearly just being used to be traded mid-season. That’s not something he wants to sign up for.”

Slater added that Kuminga would be more receptive to a three-year contract or one with a player option, but Golden State has been hesitant to make that kind of commitment. As a result, Kuminga is signaling that he may prefer to accept his $8 million qualifying offer for 2025-26 instead of the reported two-year, $45 million deal.

That scenario would be risky for the Warriors. A qualifying offer comes with a no-trade clause and positions Kuminga to reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

Meanwhile, some of Golden State’s free agent targets, including veteran big man Al Horford, are waiting to see how the Kuminga situation plays out before making decisions of their own.

With training camps not set to begin until late September, and the next key date for restricted free agents being the Oct. 1 qualifying offer deadline, the impasse could stretch several more weeks.

“It would be somewhat surprising if Kuminga leaves $14 million on the table to sign the qualifying offer,” Slater noted. “But he wants either to be viewed as a building block or he wants his freedom. And the qualifying offer, while less money, gives him control of his future.”

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