Latest Jonathan Kuminga rumor confirms severity of Warriors’ self-inflicted wound
The Golden State Warriors have offered Jonathan Kuminga a two-year, $45 million contract. On the surface, it’s a solid deal that would allow Kuminga to be paid for his talent while committing on a short-term basis to a franchise he’s uncertain about continuing with.
With the revelation of a second-year team option and the removal of a no-trade clause, however, the Warriors’ one-sided negotiations began to cost them dearly—and the latest rumor is a crushing blow.
Kuminga is said to have no interest in accepting the offer that the Warriors proposed to him. He wants to take control of his career after spending four seasons under head coach Steve Kerr, who took to a public platform to state that he doesn’t believe he can give the 22-year-old big minutes alongside the current core if the goal is to win.
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, Kuminga would thus prefer to accept his qualifying offer over agreeing to the two-year, $45 million contract the Warriors presented him with.
“The Warriors have not upped their offer, and Kuminga has indicated to those close to him that the $7.9 million qualifying offer is more appealing to him than the Warriors’ current pitch.”
The worst-case scenario for the Warriors is officially on the table, with Kuminga now considering a move that would derail the front office’s momentum.
Jonathan Kuminga prefers qualifying offer to Warriors’ latest pitch
Kuminga accepting his qualifying offer would be the worst possible outcome for the Warriors. For one, he’d become an unrestricted free agent in 2026, meaning he could leave Golden State without the franchise getting a single asset in return for his departure.
A trade would be an option before then, but Kuminga would be returning on a deal worth roughly $7.9 million—thus inherently limiting the opportunities on the trade front.
Kuminga could be moved for a player on a rookie-scale contract, but that assumes another franchise would be willing to part with a cost-efficient talent who’s still early in their development. He could also be swapped for a high-level veteran who signed for less than they were worth—assuming a rival executive is willing to give up a bargain-level player.
The most likely outcome is that Golden State would need to package another player with Kuminga to acquire a replacement for him.
The irony, of course, is that the Warriors have yet to complete a sign-and-trade for the simple reason that they don’t want to lose multiple players just to adhere to Base Year Compensation rules. If Kuminga accepts his qualifying offer, however, they may ultimately need to do exactly that just to trade him during the 2025-26 season.
Golden State will also be operating with minimal leverage as savvy franchises acknowledge the simple fact that they can sign Kuminga as an unrestricted free agent during the 2026 offseason.
Kuminga and the Warriors will inevitably leak what they want to get out, of course, as they hope to achieve what they view as the optimal negotiating result. The unfortunate reality, however, is that neither side projects to come out victorious from this tense period of negotiations.
It’s always been a possibility, but Kuminga formally informing his representation that he’d prefer the qualifying offer over the Warriors’ proposed deal is a devastating development.