Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) dunks against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Warriors Turned Down Alex Caruso Trade Offer From Chicago Bulls

Originally posted on Chicago Bulls on SI
By Will Despart | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 3:45 PM ET

Two of the most prominent stories throughout a relatively quiet NBA offseason were the respective contract stalemates between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors and Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls. According to the latest update from ESPN's Shams Charania, there was nearly a scenario where Kuminga would have ended up in Chicago himself a few years ago.

After Giddey and the Bulls agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension last week, the pressure on the Warriors and Kuminga only got higher. According to ESPN's reporting, the Warriors offered Kuminga a similar contract to what the Bulls and Giddey agreed on, but there was a team-friendly catch that was preventing an agreement from Kuminga.

Josh Giddey agrees on a 4-year, $100M deal to re-sign with the Bulls, via @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/YzvQyeOAdU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 9, 2025

“Late last week, Dunleavy offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option in the third season,” Charania reported. “That's $48.3 million guaranteed in the first two seasons and basically the same per year salary as fellow restricted free agent Josh Giddey, who re-signed with the Chicago Bulls for four years and $100 million.

The difference: Half the length and a team-controlled third season and a subliminal understanding that the contract is more trade asset than commitment to a partnership.”

Too Little, Too Late

Warriors owner Joe Lacob has a well-documented affinity for Kuminga, which is another reason the organization has been reluctant to trade him in previous years before the situation reached the essentially untenable place it's now at. Charania's report revealed that Lacob was so pro-Kuminga that he rejected a trade to send him to Chicago in return for Alex Caruso in 2021.

REPORT: Joe Lacob REFUSED to include Jonathan Kuminga in a trade offer from the Bulls for Alex Caruso, per @ShamsCharania

(h/t @Three_Cone) pic.twitter.com/797OzDMFRs
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 15, 2025

“Lacob has remained a staunch Kuminga supporter and vocal believer in his long-term future,” Charania wrote. “He voiced an unwillingness to include Kuminga in a proposed trade from Chicago for Alex Caruso a couple of seasons back, sources said, and was still glowing about Kuminga's performance in May after he rose from out of Steve Kerr's first-round rotation..."

Given where the situation now lies and how effective Caruso was for an NBA championship-winning Oklahoma City Thunder team, you have to wonder if Lacob has some serious regrets about not acquiring a Swiss Army Knife-type of asset like Caruso while he had the chance.

Not only would it have given the Warriors one of the league's elite defenders, it would have kept Caruso away from the Oklahoma City Thunder's embarrassment of riches.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bulls on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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