Warriors' stalemate with young forward is more emotional than financial

After the Warriors offered Kuminga a two-year contract worth $21.7M for next season with a team option for 2026-27, they upped that offer to $48.3M guaranteed for two years, plus a team option worth $26.9M for 2027-28. That's a lot more than Kuminga would get if he took the $7.9M qualifying offer for next season, which would give him control of his immediate future with a no-trade clause and the chance to hit unrestricted free agency next July.

Money isn't Jonathan Kuminga's biggest concern

The Warriors improved their offer significantly by adding over $26M in guaranteed money, but according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Kuminga doesn't want to sign a contract just so Golden State can trade him elsewhere. At a face-to-face meeting with Warriors owner Joe Lacob last month, Kuminga reportedly asked, "Do you even want me here?"

Kuminga was thriving last season before suffering a severely sprained ankle in January that kept him out for 31 games. When he returned, the team had Jimmy Butler and a new starting lineup that didn't include him — and also closed the season going 22-7. The Warriors beat the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets in the first round, with Kuminga playing in only three of the second games.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr may have alarmed Kuminga when he discussed the difficulty of playing Draymond Green, Butler and Kuminga together thanks to their limited outside shooting — Kuminga shot 30.5 percent from three-point range in 2024-25. While Kuminga believes he has All-Star potential, he's really only shown elite skills at scoring and getting to the hoop.

The Warriors can still salvage the relationship

The most recent offer to Kuminga should be enough money to get Kuminga to sign. The Warriors have also offered a three-year deal with no team options, though for just $54M. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings have made disappointing sign-and-trade offers, so there's certainly a path for a trade sending Kuminga to a better situation.

But overall, it feels like the Warriors are going to need to address Kuminga's hurt feelings, not just the dollar amounts on his contract. The danger of treating a young player as a potential trade asset is that it can lead to not treating him like a person. The Warriors have until the Oct. 1 qualifying offer date to figure out how to do that.