The Golden State Warriors have spent the summer trapped in a holding pattern. The stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga has tied up their cap sheet and left them as the only team in the league yet to make a signing. It is a self-inflicted purgatory. And according to a new report, even the veterans who are expected to join the team are starting to get restless.
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that Al Horford and other Warriors free agent targets are “quietly pleading for clarity” as the saga drags on. The deals are believed to be in place. Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II are lined up. Malcolm Brogdon remains on the radar. But September is here, camp is closing in, and patience is perhaps wearing thin.
Warriors’ Free Agency on Hold
The hold-up is simple. Kuminga’s restricted free agency has locked up Golden State’s books. The team has reportedly offered him a two-year, $45 million deal with a team option. Kuminga, however, appears far more interested in the $7.99 million qualifying offer, which would give him trade veto power and send him into unrestricted free agency next summer.
That divide has been the story all summer. And it has kept Golden State from officially signing anyone. Other restricted free agents around the league have now almost all made their decisions. Cam Thomas took the qualifying offer in Brooklyn. Josh Giddey signed a four-year, $100 million deal in Chicago. Quentin Grimes is expected to land back with Philadelphia once the Sixers clear salary.
The Warriors, meanwhile, remain frozen. Their veterans are waiting. Their fans are waiting. Everyone is waiting on Kuminga.
Why This Standoff Hurts the Warriors
GettyJimmy Butler III #10, Draymond Green #23 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State is not the Bulls or the Sixers. They are not planning years into the future. With Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green — average age 36.5 years — this is a win-now team. Every wasted week matters.
The lack of clarity is more than a front office headache. It is actively preventing the Warriors from finalizing deals that could stabilize the roster. Horford’s veteran presence, Melton’s defensive versatility, Payton’s familiarity with Kerr’s system — these are the kinds of moves that could balance the bench around Golden State’s aging core. Instead, those pieces remain in limbo.
Poole notes that the free agents themselves are pressing for answers. They signed up for a chance to contend in the Bay, not to sit in free agency purgatory while the clock ticks toward October.
The Clock Is Ticking
The deadline for Kuminga to sign his qualifying offer is October 1. That gives both sides just weeks to resolve a saga that has stretched all summer. Until then, the Warriors cannot move forward.
For now, the expectation remains that Kuminga will take the qualifying offer. That would finally give Golden State the clarity it needs to sign Horford, Melton, Payton, and potentially Brogdon. But until pen meets paper, nothing is guaranteed.
The longer this stalemate drags on, the greater the risk that the Warriors waste another crucial offseason. And with Curry still playing at an elite level, that is the one thing Golden State cannot afford.
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