Warriors still expected to sign string of veteran talents

With only nine players under contract for next season, the Golden State Warriors have some work to do. 

GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. and owner Joe Lacob have spent the summer locked in negotiations with Jonathan Kuminga. Logically, they want to wait until he re-signs before finalizing deals with anyone else.

Unfortunately for Golden State, time is running out for it to secure some new additions to the rotation. Training camp starts on Sept. 29. Therefore, Steve Kerr could find himself working with a reduced rotation during the opening days of his preparations. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Warriors have a string of veterans waiting to join the roster. 

"Warriors veterans are expected to convene for a mini-camp of their own later this week before Golden State's training camp officially opens Sept. 30," Stein reported. "That knowledge inevitably makes you wonder how many of the familiar names Golden State has been expecting for the past several weeks to sign once the Kuminga situation is resolved — Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II — can/will participate in that gathering if they haven't officially signed with the Warriors yet. None of those players can sign, remember, until after Kuminga does."

It's worth noting that Golden State's veterans-in-waiting may need to wait until after Oct. 1, which is the deadline for Kuminga to sign his qualifying offer with the franchise.

Jonathan Kuminga is holding out for a player option 

The biggest hurdle in Golden State's negotiations over the summer has been Kuminga's insistence on a player option for the final year of his next contract. The Warriors, to this point, have reportedly stood firm in their offer of a team option on that final year.

"Their unwillingness to budge on the team option in those specific two offers is a major part of the holdup," ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater recently reported. "Kuminga, gripping to the first lever of control he has had in his young career, is resistant to the idea of it, sources said."

The reason the Warriors prefer the team option is that it would increase Kuminga's trade value around the NBA. However, with the opportunity to begin rounding out the roster now a factor, Dunleavy and Lacob may be willing to compromise with Kuminga. 

After all, if he opts to sign his qualifying offer, the Warriors will lose the little bit of leverage they currently have. Couple that with a delayed start to preseason preparations, and handing out a player option emerges as the lesser of two evils.