The contract standoff between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors is entering its final days, with the team’s media day set for Monday and no resolution yet in sight. The 21-year-old forward has yet to commit to a contract extension, and the October 1 deadline for his $7.9 million qualifying offer looms large.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors have had no discussions about moving the deadline and remain firm on their two most recent offers: a two-year, $45 million deal or a three-year, $75.2 million contract with $48.3 million guaranteed in the first two years. Both agreements include a team option in the final season — a key sticking point in negotiations.
“The Warriors likewise do not appear willing to revamp the most recent offers they’ve made to Kuminga,” Fischer reported in The Stein Line newsletter. “The two most notable are a three-year pact worth $75 million and a two-year pitch worth $45 million — both of which feature a team option rather than a player option in the final season. Kuminga’s camp has pushed hard to try to turn those options into player options, while Warriors officials maintain that they will not come off their team option-or-bust stance.”
Qualifying Offer Remains a Real Option
Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, has publicly stated that the qualifying offer is still a legitimate pathway.
“He will take the QO,” Turner told ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast. “But if he’s treated fairly — and in our mind that’s flipping [team option] to [player option] — he’s back, and then we don’t have to talk about the QO. But the QO is real. It’s something that JK wants to take. It does have upside. You’re not getting traded. You’re going to have unrestricted free agency.”
NBC Sports Bay Area columnist Monte Poole called the qualifying offer scenario a leverage play that puts enormous pressure on Golden State, which risks losing one of its top young players for nothing if a deal or trade isn’t finalized.
Kuminga Miss Warriors Mini Camp
Adding drama to the stalemate, Kuminga has been working out in Miami separate from the team, while the Warriors conducted a player-only minicamp in San Diego, hosted by Jimmy Butler, ahead of next week’s official training camp. The physical separation between player and team has only intensified speculation over when — or if — a deal will be reached.
“The timing is critical,” Poole said on the Dubs Talk podcast. “Training camp is so close now. You have an incentive to get something done, and you don’t want the nightmare scenario where you open media day and there are nine guys there. The Warriors don’t want it, and neither does anyone else in the league watching this situation.”
Veteran Signings on Hold
The stalemate has also affected Golden State’s offseason roster construction. Multiple reports indicate the Warriors have deals lined up with veterans, including Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry. But those contracts remain in limbo until Kuminga’s situation is resolved.
Poole noted that the Warriors were frustrated with Turner for going public about trade talks. Golden State has long cultivated a tightly controlled, leak-proof approach to negotiations, and the public disclosures disrupted that system.
“If you’re the Warriors, you’re like, ‘Dude, what are you doing?’” Poole said. “The organization keeps things under its vest. This isn’t something they normally air publicly.”
Deadline Looms
Whether through an extension, a qualifying offer, or a sign-and-trade, the clock is running out for both sides to find a resolution. With media day only two days away, the Warriors face the possibility of stepping into the spotlight with an incomplete roster and a cornerstone player still in limbo — heightening the urgency and tension around the franchise’s preparation for the season.
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