As the Golden State Warriors have trudged through this offseason, their contractual stand-off with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has loomed over every possible move they could have made to this point.
Now, with Shams Charania of ESPN reporting that Kuminga turned down a two-year, $45 million offer from the Warriors, it appears as though the saga will continue to stretch well into the offseason, and what Golden State intends for Kuminga has been made clear.
Although it has been previously reported that it was likely Kuminga would return on a short-term, tradeable deal, this offer gives concrete evidence on the organization's hopes for the future of their prized asset.
The Warriors want the flexibility to trade Kuminga at any time
According to Shams Charania, the Warriors have recently offered Kuminga a two-year deal around the rumored annual value that the market has settled on for the young forward. However, Kuminga's camp has been resistant to agreeing to such a deal as a result of the organization's desire to include a team option and a waiving of a no-trade clause within the contract's framework.
Golden State made renewed push to retain Jonathan Kuminga, but the RFA continues to decline a two-year, $45 million offer due to Warriors insistence on a team option and waiving a built-in no-trade clause, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2025
Details with @anthonyVslater: https://t.co/GfbB2RvyDz
This revelation is incredibly intriguing for both parties. From the perspective of Kuminga, his apparent openness to an annual value that is less than what he originally demanded is a sign that his party has finally woken up to the state of the market. Kuminga was originally rumored to be seeking around $30 million a year on a long-term contract when his free agency opened.
At the same time, his objections to Golden State's demands likely signify his desire to maintain leverage in any future decisions made on his behalf: a fact that could allow him, to an extent, to choose his next destination.
From the front office's angle, this cements even further the team's intention to move Kuminga by the trade deadline of next season even if they were able to retain him.
This offseason, the market on Kuminga, and restricted free agents as a whole, has cooled considerably as a result of teams' financial limitations under the new CBA. While the Warriors were reportedly seeking a young player and a first-round pick in a potential Kuminga sign-and-trade, no known offers materialized that matched that asking price.
Therefore, in demanding a team option as well as the ability to trade Kuminga, Golden State has made clear that they do not see the young forward as a piece of the future of this franchise, reserving the ability to move on from him at any point that they see fit.