Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga still locked in contract standoff

The Warriors upped their offer to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga last week. Still no deal.

Per Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN, Golden State put a three-year, $75.2 million contract on the table, with the third year a team option.

That means $48.3 million guaranteed for the first two years — basically the same annual money Josh Giddey just got from the Bulls. The big difference? Giddey’s deal is fully guaranteed. Kuminga’s would leave him hanging as a potential trade chip.

The new proposal is a step up from the two-year, $45 million package offered earlier this summer. But the sticking points remain the same: team options, trade flexibility, and no player control. Kuminga and agent Aaron Turner want a player option and argue that if the Warriors insist on controlling the third year, his salary should bump closer to $30 million annually.

Golden State isn’t biting. Owner Joe Lacob has been Kuminga’s loudest supporter since drafting him over Franz Wagner in 2021, but he’s also made it clear he won’t risk losing Kuminga for nothing next summer. That’s why the Warriors shot down the idea of a one-year “qualifying offer-plus” deal that would let Kuminga walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Other teams have circled. The Suns were willing to hand him four years and up to $88 million. The Kings offered a shorter deal with a player option. Both packages would’ve made Kuminga a starting forward elsewhere. Golden State balked, deciding it didn’t like the return — role players and draft scraps.

So here we are: training camp less than two weeks away, Kuminga unsigned, and the Warriors’ other roster moves on hold. Steve Kerr has told people Kuminga would see plenty of minutes this season if he re-signs. Kuminga’s camp isn’t so sure, pointing to Kerr’s playoff comments about fit alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.

Unless Lacob steps in to sweeten the pot or green-light a trade, this standoff isn’t ending anytime soon.