The Golden State Warriors' offseason activity came to a screeching halt from the very beginning, as their 22-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga has prevented the franchise from inking important deals with prospective free agent targets.
Kuminga entered the summer as one of the NBA's top talents hitting the restricted free agency market, and he's had to watch both the Brooklyn Nets' Cam Thomas return to his team on a $6 million qualifying offer and versatile guard Josh Giddey land a four-year, $100 million deal with the Chicago Bulls.
The clock continues to tick, and both camps have until the Oct. 1 deadline to either agree on a deal or find a sign-and-trade partner.
Both sides are unwilling to meet in the middle, but one NBA writer recently suggested that Golden State should learn from Giddey's success and come to a mutually beneficial agreement sooner rather than later.
"With the threat of Kuminga signing his own $7.9 million qualifying offer becoming more and more present, the Warriors must take a page out of the Bulls book in terms of negotiations, not that Chicago should be regarded as the blueprint for roster-building in the league," FanSided's Peter O'Keefe wrote Tuesday.
"Golden State have been rather rigid in their negotiations according to recent reports, with little movement on the two-year, $45 million offer they've presented Kuminga that comes with a second year team option."
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"The obvious move would be to just guarantee the second year completely, no team or player option and eliminate the thought of a no-trade clause for the 22-year-old."
"This compromise would give Kuminga significant money on a short-term deal that lets him re-enter free agency at just 24, while for Golden State it would avoid the qualifying offer disaster and still allow them to trade the former seventh overall pick once he becomes eligible mid-season."
The Warriors will have to reach a compromise with their former No. 7 overall pick, and handing him a two-year, $45 million contract while fully guaranteeing the second season might be their best course of action.
In 47 regular season appearances for the Warriors in 2024-25, Kuminga averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds on a horrid 49.5% effective field goal percentage.
However, the 6-foot-8 leaper made his case for a future pay day when he contributed 20.8 points on a 63.5% true shooting percentage throughout the Warriors' five-game 2025 Western Conference Semi-Final matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves this past postseason.
Golden State wishes to avoid re-signing Kuminga on the $7.9 million qualifying offer because it would lock the athletic wing into a no-trade clause for the 2025-26 campaign and make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Providing Kuminga with a semblance of financial security while maintaining the ability to trade him at a moments notice would be a win-win scenario for both parties, but there's no guarantee that he'll keep the organizations best interests in mind and settle for a meager salary compared to that of Giddey's.
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