Jonathan Kuminga is right back where he started. After engaging in drawn-out negotiations with the Golden State Warriors that saw him ultimately accept his qualifying offer in 2025, Kuminga is still negotiating a new deal as he nears the completion of a full month of unrestricted free agency in 2026.
Though Kuminga enduring another polarizing offseason may feel like vindication for the Warriors, the fact remains that they mishandled his career and restricted free agency with the team—and it's costing them to this day.
Kuminga is currently an unrestricted free agent. It appears to only be a matter of time before he signs somewhere, but it's becoming harder to pinpoint where that might be. The Los Angeles Lakers, for instance, reportedly offered him a two-year, $20 million salary.
Unfortunately, Kuminga's preferred salary is closer to the range of $20 million per season—and thus, a gulf remains between the two sides.
"The Lakers could've signed him to a 2 year, $20M deal. He was not interested in that. I've heard he's been looking for closer to $20M AAV... There's a gap"@jasonrmcintyre and @jovanbuha on what's holding up Jonathan Kuminga to the Lakers pic.twitter.com/H8lKBDWu8s
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 20, 2026
Though Warriors fans may be tempted to take a victory lap, there's no reason to do so when one considers how damaging it remains that they waited too long to trade him.
Jonathan Kuminga is still a free agent, but GSW still has the same flaws
Golden State is proceeding through yet another offseason with one of the oldest projected cores in the NBA. It's an unfortunate but perhaps inevitable result of treating every season as a must-win campaign with no room for long-term planning.
The hope appears to be that 2026 first-round draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg can help turn the tide and provide long-term stability to a team in need of building blocks. It's an admittedly welcome shift in ideology.
Whether or not that transpires, however, the handling of the Kuminga saga remains a blemish on the organization. Even putting aside how they handled his development, Golden State seemed to know it didn't want him back long before it had to go down the road of restricted free agency.
Instead of trading Kuminga for pieces who could help bolster the depth of the rotation, however, the Warriors waited until the 25th hour and swapped him for Kristaps Porzingis.
Warriors need Kristaps Porzingis to validate Jonathan Kuminga trade
Porzingis will turn 31 in August. There's hope that he can make a full recovery after battling a mysterious illness in 2025-26, but he's missed at least 40 games in each of the past two seasons—and was absent from 25 regular season and 12 postseason outings the year prior.
In fact, Porzingis has missed at least 25 games in five of the past six seasons. That's particularly concerning when one considers that wings Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are currently recovering from severe injuries.
Golden State, of course, had opportunities to trade Kuminga. He generated sign-and-trade interest during the 2025 offseason, which the Warriors reportedly rebuffed. Based on how he was utilized by head coach Steve Kerr, however, it's hard to believe that was the first time the two sides considered moving on.
Thus, the nail in the proverbial coffin comes in the form of regret over not trading Kuminga before the 2025 offseason had even rolled around.
GSW waited too long to trade Jonathan Kuminga
Perhaps the Warriors will manage to work some late magic and build the rotation out once the dust settles on LeBron James' unrestricted free agency. It's also possible that the likes of Lendeborg, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, and Gui Santos will step up to provide the youth and developable talent Golden State needs.
As injuries prevent the Warriors from being truly optimistic, however, one simply can't help but wonder how different things could be had they treated their own Kuminga saga differently.
It's the unfortunate reason that the Warriors truthfully haven't been vindicated at all. Yes, Kuminga is a free agent. And yes, his demands are lofty once again. There's simply still a hole in the Warriors' rotation that Kuminga or an earlier trade including him could've filled.
Harsh as it may be, Kuminga finding himself in the same place all over again doesn't let the Warriors off the hook when they're still paying for mismanaging his tenure.
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