The Mysterious Rift: What’s Really Brewing Between the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga?

The Jonathan Kuminga saga with the Golden State Warriors is anything but straightforward these days. The 22-year-old forward, caught in the tangled web of restricted free agency, is itching for a fresh start — and the Sacramento Kings appear ready to offer just that, pairing a lucrative three-year, million deal with a prime starting role. However, the Warriors, valuing Kuminga’s untapped potential, aren’t budging on Sacramento’s proposed compensation package, which hinges on protected draft picks and player swaps that Golden State finds less than appealing. The standoff deepens as Kuminga resists contract structures that grant the Warriors substantial control over his future—a control he’s wary of after feeling sidelined and limited in his development under Steve Kerr’s coaching. Stalling the talks, this impasse leaves Kuminga sidelined for the near term, including sitting out the upcoming FIBA AfroBasket tournament to avoid injury while his professional fate hangs in limbo. As these high-stakes negotiations unfold, one thing’s certain: Kuminga’s next chapter, the team he’ll call home this fall, and the deal he’ll sign remain a mystery for now. LEARN MORE

Now, of course, we all can read some or most of this as Warriors positioning in lieu of making a final push for a more favorable sign-and-trade agreement. The Warriors have definitely had some discussions with other teams about Kuminga. And once you start having discussions, you can always finish one of them, no matter what your public stance happens to be at the time.The word I got when I checked in with a Warriors source on Sunday: Kuminga won’t be traded this summer. He’ll be back on the Warriors’ roster to start the season. And it’ll either come when he signs the Warriors’ offer or accepts the .9 million one-year qualifying offer.At this point, Kuminga wants a clean slate and a new role elsewhere. Like, for example, a couple of hours north at Golden 1 Center, where the Kings would love to slot the 6-foot-8 forward into their starting lineup, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

At this point, Kuminga wants a clean slate and a new role elsewhere. Like, for example, a couple of hours north at Golden 1 Center, where the Kings would love to slot the 6-foot-8 forward into their starting lineup, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

As for the Kings, who last spoke with the Warriors earlier this week, team sources say they’ve offered a three-year, million deal for Kuminga in a proposal that would send veteran guard Malik Monk and their 2030 first-round pick (lottery protected) to the Warriors (that deal would require the Warriors to move more salary elsewhere to stay under the first apron, likely Moses Moody or Buddy Hield). If that pick didn’t convey, then the Warriors would get the least favorable of the Kings’ or San Antonio’s first-round pick in 2031. Those protections have been the primary sticking point, team sources said, as the Warriors have insisted that the first-rounder be unprotected. Thus, the stalemate.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The stalemate between the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga continues, with the restricted free agent forward reportedly eager for a fresh start with the Kings — but Golden State brass is uninterested in the compensation Sacramento has offered for a player the Warriors clearly believe still has value … even if it’s not to them.

The Warriors’ willingness to wait means Kuminga has to play the waiting game, too … and, as a result, play fewer actual games. Stein reports Kuminga’s not expected to play for his native Congo in this summer’s FIBA AfroBasket tournament, slated to tip off Aug. 12, as he looks to mitigate injury risk with his contract status still up in the air.Advertisement