1 week ago
6
Anthony Slater
Jul 24, 2025, 05:00 PM ET
Restricted escaped cause Jonathan Kuminga is successful nary unreserved to motion the latest declaration offers from the Golden State Warriors, helium told ESPN's Shams Charania aft a Thursday greeting workout successful Miami, and Kuminga's stalemate with the Warriors has the imaginable to resistance importantly deeper into the offseason arsenic helium continues to research different opportunities.
General manager Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors' beforehand bureau showed an other level of information this week successful conversations with Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, attempting to present what they judge is simply a fair-market connection to bring backmost Kuminga for a 5th season, contempt the rocky four-year concern that preceded it.
But Kuminga hasn't recovered thing they presented appealing, helium said, truthful the drawn-out negotiations volition stay motionless, apt to unit the Warriors' different offseason concern to stay connected pause. They are the lone NBA squad not to motion oregon commercialized for a subordinate yet this summer.
The Warriors and Kuminga didn't swap declaration numbers successful the pb up to escaped agency. So, Turner has spent overmuch of July searching for sign-and-trade opportunities, getting the astir tangible bites from the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, league sources said.
Both suitors stay connected the fringe of these talks, attempting to prosecute the Warriors connected assorted packages but delivering thing that has moved the needle. The Warriors don't privation to adhd what they presumption arsenic atrocious salary, would similar a promising young subordinate and person been steadfast successful their petition for a first-round prime successful immoderate Kuminga sign-and-trade talks, league sources said. Phoenix doesn't adjacent person a first-round prime disposable to trade.
This has been an ice-cold marketplace for restricted escaped agents due to the fact that of the deficiency of headdress abstraction astir the league. The Warriors anticipated this and judge they've offered Kuminga the highest starting wage that is presently connected the array for him and were optimistic helium mightiness instrumentality their astir caller pitch.
But Kuminga didn't. His broadside volition proceed to scour the league for sign-and-trade opportunities successful hopes thing yet pops. They besides person the qualifying connection arsenic an option.
Kuminga has a lasting one-year, $7.9 cardinal connection that the Warriors tin nary longer rescind. He has until Oct. 1 to judge it. If helium goes that route, Kuminga would beryllium willingly giving up a chunk of contiguous wealth but would instrumentality connected an expiring woody with an inherent no-trade clause, giving him the astir level of semipermanent vocation power he's ever had. It's thing his broadside is legitimately considering, sources said.
The Warriors, meanwhile, person been cautious not to wrapper up immoderate different authoritative unit concern until the Kuminga concern is solved, leaving them arsenic overmuch fiscal and roster flexibility arsenic imaginable considering the unpredictable quality of the situation.
But they person plotted retired immoderate wide plans. The Warriors are successful hunt of a seasoned agelong shooter astatine the halfway presumption and identified Al Horford arsenic their apical people from the outset of escaped agency. Horford is said to inactive beryllium mulling retirement, but the Warriors are believed to beryllium the beardown favourite to onshore him erstwhile the particulate settles.
The Warriors besides person communal involvement successful De'Anthony Melton and Seth Curry arsenic seat options, sources said. Melton made rather the content successful his six games with the Warriors past play earlier tearing his ACL. They similar him arsenic a backcourt acceptable adjacent to Steph Curry and person identified Seth Curry, Steph's brother, arsenic a needed seat shooter with an evident household tie.
But everything each ties backmost to Kuminga, the big-ticket point of the summertime for the Warriors. Beyond the declaration demands, Kuminga is successful hunt of a much guaranteed, accordant starting relation and featured opportunity, sources said. That's thing some the Suns and Kings person pitched.
Kuminga would beryllium a important portion of the Warriors' rotation to unfastened adjacent season, and they'll request his supplementary scoring connected nights that either Steph Curry, 37, oregon Jimmy Butler, 35, rest.
That's thing caput manager Steve Kerr has voiced to Kuminga successful caller weeks. Kerr has been 1 of the starring voices trying to spot this together, sources said.
But Kuminga nary longer wants to beryllium a secondary enactment oregon a fallback plan, fearing a minimization successful important moments. He scored 18, 30, 23 and 26 points successful the last 4 playoff games against the Minnesota Timberwolves aft Steph Curry went down. But helium was besides wholly retired of the rotation successful the archetypal circular against the Houston Rockets, a achy representation that partially paints his existent mindset. So Kuminga volition stay connected the summertime hunt for a imaginable caller start.
