As the Golden State Warriors have attempted to find common ground with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, the two sides have come to an impasse regarding which party will have more leverage in a potential two-year deal.
What Kuminga's side retains, however, is the threat of taking his qualifying offer and hitting unrestricted free agency next offseason, which would allow a team such as the Charlotte Hornets, who will have significant cap space, to create a disastrous scenario for the Warriors.
Although, at this point, it is extremely likely that the organization will end up moving Kuminga at some point, they would obviously like to get some sort of value in return for their prime asset. However, a team like the Hornets can make all of that impossible next offseason if this catastrophe continues.
The Charlotte Hornets could poach Kuminga next offseason
The Warriors and Kuminga have, somewhat surprisingly, arrived on a tentative agreement for a short-term, tradeable deal that would allow the young forward to prove his value in The Bay before likely being shipped off to a new destination with more runway.
Yet, the the two parties' impasse has come through their disagreement on whether there will be a team or a player option after the first year of the contract. The unfortunate reality for Golden State is that Kuminga has the leverage in this situation.
If he were to accept the Warriors' $7.9 million qualifying offer, thereby taking on a temporarily lower salary in order to guarantee himself an open market next offseason, they could lose their most tradeable asset for absolutely nothing.
This threat is intensified by teams such as the Hornets, who may not be willing to take a swing on a restricted free agent this offseason but could certainly threaten the Warriors next offseason. According to ESPN, Charlotte is among nine teams they project to have significant cap space next offseason.
With a developing core of Lamelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun and Kon Knueppel, the team could certainly bring in Kuminga at a value closer to the $30 million he envisions while granting him the runway to realize his full potential.
Not only is this concerning as a pure hypothetical for the Warriors, but Kuminga certainly could also look ahead at what his options could be next offseason and opt to keep the organization in a chokehold through his qualifying offer.
Therefore, Golden State is stuck in an unfortunate position. Do they acquiesce to Kuminga's demands or do they take the risk of an absolute disaster scenario next offseason?