Jonathan Kuminga has spent the summer being locked in negotiations with the Golden State Warriors. The former draft pick is a restricted free agent.
However, Kuminga has resisted all of the Warriors‘ recent contract offers. He is reportedly against signing a deal that includes a team option. Despite the standoff, Kuminga is expected to be with the Warriors next season, either via signing his qualifying offer or agreeing to terms on a new contract.
Whatever happens with Kuminga, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel is expecting him to become a hot commodity as we near the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“In recent years, instead of waiting until the offseason to do so, teams have taken the initiative to go all-in at the trade deadline,” Siegel wrote. “We are expecting much of the same to happen before February during the 2025-26 season…Immediately, the trade market points in the direction of three key names: Andrew Wiggins, RJ Barrett, and Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga has reportedly drawn interest from the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns this summer. It wouldn’t be a surprise if at least one of the trio explores the possibility of acquiring him via trade later in the season.
Kuminga is “Miserable” With Warriors
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Kuminga is “absolutely miserable” with the Warriors. Therefore, the veteran analyst expects the two sides to part ways sooner rather than later.
“You’re making this about the money,” MacMahon said Tuesday on The Hoop Collective podcast. “He’s miserable. He is absolutely miserable,” he continued. “It is a bad situation. A breakup that needs to happen sooner than later,” MacMahon added. “It is a terrible situation for him. He was getting DNP-CDs in the playoffs. The coach doesn’t want him. The coach doesn’t believe in him. And the coach has publicly said over and over that he does not fit with the core of this team.”
The Warriors drafted Kuminga with the seventh overall pick in 2021. However, despite his undoubted potential, he’s struggled to earn a consistent role within Steve Kerr’s rotation.
Kuminga Could Re-Sign Under Right Circumstances
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Kuminga would be willing to sign the Warriors‘ three-year contract offer if they included a player option in the final year. Currently, the final year has a team option attached.
“I actually talked to Aaron Turner, Jonathan Kuminga’s agent, this morning, and the messaging they’re adopting this week is simple: turn the team option into a player option, and the deal is done,” Slater said on NBA Today. “The three-year contract on the table is worth around $74 million, and if the third year becomes a player option, Kuminga will not only sign it but also fully buy into the team’s mission. That mission, Turner says, is helping Stephen Curry and Draymond Green chase a fifth championship and giving Jimmy Butler a shot at his first.”
Kumina clearly wants a level of control over his future. Giving him a player option would lead to an agreement between both sides. At least that way, the Warriors can continue driving a hard bargain during trade talks.
Regardless of what happens between Kuminga and the Warriors, it certainly feels like their time together is limited. The bigger question is whether Golden State keeps him around for the entirety of the upcoming season or explores potential moves in February.
Warriors Forward Expected to Be A Hot Commodity At Trade Deadline