High-Level Meeting
After six weeks of silence during Jonathan Kuminga`s restricted free agency, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob became directly involved in mid-August. General Manager Mike Dunleavy requested an in-person meeting on August 11 in Miami. The precise timing was intentional, as Lacob had plans to attend a Golden State Valkyries game in San Francisco that evening. However, the urgency of the situation necessitated his cross-country travel.
Negotiations between Kuminga`s representatives and Dunleavy`s front office had reached an impasse. The Warriors had consistently rejected all sign-and-trade proposals throughout the offseason, including offers from the Phoenix Suns (involving Royce O`Neale and a second-round pick) and the Sacramento Kings (offering Malik Monk and a future first-round pick). Kuminga had clearly expressed his disinterest in the Warriors` two-year, $45 million standing offer, primarily due to the team option on the second season and the requirement to waive his inherent no-trade clause.
Consequently, the four principal parties – Lacob, Dunleavy, Kuminga, and his agent Aaron Turner – gathered for what seemed to be the most crucial discussion of a challenging Warriors offseason. Their talks covered financial figures, contract structure, and the four years of shared history that had led to this deadlock. Yet, the most pressing underlying question from Lacob`s perspective was: “Do you want to be here?”
Mutual Doubts and Unanswered Questions
The $21.7 million salary the Warriors proposed for Kuminga next season represented more immediate earnings than he would receive from the theoretical Phoenix or Sacramento offers, though with considerably fewer long-term guarantees. This would place him as the fourth highest-paid player on a roster featuring three Hall of Famers. Given the challenging landscape of the restricted free agency market, the Warriors, according to sources, considered their offer more than fair and interpreted Kuminga`s hesitation as a desire to seek an exit.
However, this four-year, multi-layered struggle is complex. The team-friendly contract structure was pitched to Kuminga as a deal that would be easier to move if he became eligible for a trade in January. There was the implicit threat that he could be benched or traded to an undesirable situation. Kuminga, with a strong belief in his own abilities, is actively seeking a situation where he feels he will be given a genuine opportunity to thrive.
In response, Kuminga redirected the question back to Lacob and the Warriors: “Do you even want me here?”
Forward Jonathan Kuminga was the youngest Warriors player since Jamaal Wilkes in 1975 to achieve three consecutive 20-point games in the playoffs, as per ESPN research.
Negotiations Continue into September
September brings an intensified sense of urgency for NBA teams with incomplete rosters. The Warriors, navigating the final stages of Stephen Curry`s competitive window, have only officially filled nine of their fifteen roster spots just two weeks before training camp. Kuminga`s situation is the key factor influencing all their subsequent plans. Predictably, Kuminga`s phone has been busy with business calls in recent weeks. His star teammates, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, have reportedly contacted him to inquire about his plans and state of mind. Kuminga`s agent, Turner, has presented the latest proposals from the front office following a week of heightened negotiations. Yet, a resolution remains elusive.
The Warriors have stepped up their efforts. Late last week, Dunleavy reportedly offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million deal, including a team option for the third season. This guarantees $48.3 million over the first two seasons, roughly aligning with the annual salary of fellow restricted free agent Josh Giddey, who signed a four-year, $100 million extension with the Chicago Bulls. The key differences lie in the Warriors` offer having half the duration and a team-controlled third season, carrying the unspoken understanding that the contract is primarily a trade asset rather than a firm partnership commitment.
Dunleavy and the Warriors are insisting on the same structure as their previous two-year, $45 million proposal: a team option for the second season and the waiver of the inherent no-trade clause. Their unwavering stance on the team option in these specific offers is a significant obstacle. Kuminga, for his part, is holding onto the first real leverage he`s had in his young career and is resistant to the idea of a team option, sources indicate. The only offer the Warriors have made without a team option is a three-year, $54 million fully guaranteed deal, averaging $18 million per season.
Throughout the summer, Turner and Kuminga have largely requested a player option as part of their preferred deals, showing a willingness to accept around $20 million per year for such a clause, but believing a team option deal should command approximately $30 million per year. The Warriors, according to sources, have consistently viewed a player option as a non-starter.
In light of this, Turner and Kuminga have presented alternative solutions. One of the most recent counter-proposals, sources said, emerged last week: a one-year deal for a negotiable sum, framed as an enhanced version of the qualifying offer. This would provide Kuminga a financial boost (from $8 million) and grant him unrestricted free agency next summer, while eliminating the inherent no-trade clause and allowing the Warriors to utilize him as an expiring contract at the trade deadline. Such a “bridge deal” would give both parties another year to assess their future together, and also create a more trade-friendly salary figure compared to the standard qualifying offer, which has an October 1 deadline. This concept bears similarities to what the Brooklyn Nets proposed to Cam Thomas.
However, Dunleavy rejected this concept, sources confirmed, and it is reportedly Lacob who is opposed to the “inflated” one-year offer, as it would leave the Warriors too exposed to losing Kuminga next summer without any compensation. Consequently, the summer-long stalemate extends further into September.
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob reportedly met with Kuminga at a Golden State Valkyries game in May, urging him to maintain an open mind about their shared future.
Lacob and Kerr`s Influential Roles
Lacob has been a pivotal figure in Kuminga`s NBA journey from the outset. While Bob Myers served as team president and Dunleavy as assistant general manager when Kuminga was drafted in 2021, and they collectively approved the pick, Lacob was a driving force behind the selection. This was despite some internal preferences, including from coaching staff members, for Franz Wagner, sources indicated. Lacob has consistently remained a strong advocate for Kuminga and a vocal believer in his long-term potential. He reportedly resisted including Kuminga in a proposed trade for Alex Caruso from Chicago a couple of seasons ago and was still glowing about Kuminga`s performance in May. This was after Kuminga emerged from Steve Kerr`s first-round rotation to become the team`s leading scorer during their second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The two were seen sitting courtside together at a Valkyries game shortly after that series, where Lacob reportedly asked Kuminga to keep an open mind about their future collaboration. Nevertheless, Lacob, despite his deep involvement, strong opinions, and willingness to spend, has never dictated specific rotation decisions, sources confirm. Kerr, a four-time championship coach, will retain the same authority over his team operations in his 12th season with the Warriors. Kuminga`s camp understands this and acknowledges that, given the team`s history and current roster dynamics, a reunion would likely involve a bench role and the possibility of reduced playing time during various stretches of the season.
Kuminga`s personal relationship with Kerr is not perceived as an issue. The message from Kerr and the Warriors is that Kuminga would have a significant role to start the next season. They envision leveraging his youth and scoring ability on the wing. However, in negotiations, Kuminga`s side has frequently referenced postseason comments where Kerr emphasized the challenge of integrating Kuminga alongside Curry, Butler, and Green for extensive minutes while simultaneously aiming for championship success. To Kuminga`s camp, this serves as evidence that the basketball fit is less than ideal for the trajectory of his career.
This perspective led them to convey a specific message to the Warriors` front office during the discussions: “Sell the contract, not the basketball.” Rival teams like Phoenix (offering four years, $80-$88 million) and Sacramento (three years, $63-$66 million) have included player options in their proposals and explicitly offered Kuminga a starting power forward role, sources revealed. Such an opportunity is not available with the Warriors, where he would not consistently receive 30 minutes per night, nor the starting and closing role he ardently desires.
This brings the conversation back to the meeting with Lacob. Leading up to that discussion, there was a prevailing sentiment around Kuminga that Lacob would intervene and, at minimum, offer the kind of financial commitment that aligns with the long-term belief in Kuminga he frequently expresses. Alternatively, if the Warriors were unwilling to meet Turner and Kuminga`s requests, perhaps Lacob would demonstrate a greater willingness to greenlight a trade elsewhere, allowing for a “basketball divorce” that has often seemed inevitable. Kuminga`s side still believes this crucial issue remains unresolved.
Financial Dynamics and the Qualifying Offer
While the NBA converged in Las Vegas for Summer League in July, Turner presented Dunleavy and Jon Phelps – the Warriors` cap executive instrumental in formulating Kuminga`s “one-plus-one” offer – with a three-year, $82 million proposal that included a player option. The Warriors have shown reluctance to offer such a substantial, long-term deal for Kuminga, citing concerns about how the contract might impact their future salary cap, sources indicate. The contracts for Curry, Butler, and Green are all set to expire after the 2026-27 season. At present, the team projects to have a clean financial slate and significant flexibility in the summer of 2027.
The first season`s salary is also a critical element of the negotiations. While the Warriors have not officially made any other moves this summer, they have reportedly prepared to pursue all their other roster targets once the “Kuminga domino” falls. The Warriors intend to utilize at least their taxpayer mid-level exception – with Al Horford being a primary target – and have engaged in serious discussions with veteran players De`Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry. This strategic planning explains why Curry, Butler, and Green are not agitating behind the scenes; they are aware of the team`s strategy and have approved the anticipated outcomes.
However, this tentative plan places the Warriors at a hard cap near the second apron, meaning $22.5 million is the maximum they could offer Kuminga next season while maintaining 15 rostered players. This figure has, to date, proven too low for Kuminga to accept in a multi-year deal featuring a team option.
Kuminga`s Ultimate Leverage and the Staring Contest
Kuminga`s most significant leverage remains the one-year, $8 million qualifying offer, which inherently includes a no-trade clause. As the summer has progressed and the discomfort surrounding these negotiations has intensified, Kuminga has become increasingly open to this option. The decision to sign it could very well extend right up to the October 1 deadline, unless one side capitulates.
The financial drawbacks of accepting the qualifying offer are clear. Kuminga would be foregoing as much as $15.3 million in additional earnings next season and risking a potential career setback that might prevent him from ever recovering that lost money. Given that the league has evolved into one focused on contract extensions, Kuminga would be declining a larger, set salary to position himself for his subsequent deal.
However, Kuminga has expressed a belief in his potential to become a multi-time All-Star. He has secured “loss of value” insurance to protect himself should he sign the qualifying offer. He is reportedly intrigued by the prospect of unrestricted free agency next summer, a period when at least 10 teams are expected to possess significant salary cap space. He is not fixated on every dollar lost in the immediate term and views the qualifying offer as a direct path to greater career control. Rival teams, most notably the Kings and Suns, have actively recruited him this summer, and his conversations with executives, coaches, and other league personnel have only strengthened his long-term conviction that the risk could ultimately yield substantial rewards.
Yet, there is a reason he has not yet accepted the qualifying offer. Turner and Kuminga are holding out in anticipation of a more appealing outcome – either a new contract offer or a sign-and-trade – partly driven by their belief in how crucial it is for the Warriors to avoid having Kuminga play on the qualifying offer.
If Kuminga returns on the qualifying offer, he would possess the power to veto any trade next season. Furthermore, on an $8 million expiring contract without Bird rights attached, his market value would be significantly diminished even if he were to approve a trade. The Warriors would then lose control over a vital roster-building asset during one of Stephen Curry`s final competitive seasons, introduce a potentially significant distraction into the locker room, and face a high risk of losing Kuminga, their 2021 No. 7 draft pick, for no compensation next summer.
However, sources indicate that certain ancillary benefits to this generally negative scenario are also being considered. Kuminga playing on the qualifying offer would allow the Warriors to stay below the first tax apron and, as a repeater tax team, save nearly $70 million in luxury tax payments. They would still have Kuminga, a valuable rotational wing, for a season on a relatively inexpensive deal and would retain his Bird rights. This would give them the flexibility to revisit a long-term deal next summer or extract value from him in a sign-and-trade scenario, similar to their handling of Klay Thompson`s departure to Dallas, which saw the Warriors facilitate a six-team deal acquiring Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson.
But such an outcome would hinge on Kuminga`s cooperation. If he were to sign the qualifying offer, he would still intend to report for training camp and be an active member of this season`s Warriors team, sources said. However, his camp views the qualifying offer route as an organizational “burning of the long-term relationship.” They would anticipate a clean break next summer, sources indicate, with little motivation to allow the Warriors to recoup value unless absolutely necessary to facilitate Kuminga`s desired destination.
As the Miami conversation clearly revealed, this is a relationship where mutual trust and commitment appear to be lacking on both sides. Does Kuminga genuinely want to be there? Do the Warriors truly value him, or are they merely seeking a more opportune moment to trade him?
A temporary reunion remains the most probable outcome, but the intricacies of salary cap rules and restricted free agency have trapped both parties in a summer-long staring contest. Both are waiting for the other to blink.