The Golden State Warriors are intending to bring Jonathan Kuminga back onto the roster for the start of next season.
That was expressed in a report from ESPN's Anthony Slater on Thursday which outlined the front office's increased motivation to get a deal done this week, not that it's been reciprocated by Kuminga who was unmoved by anything that the Warriors put forward.
However, Golden State must have some level of confidence in the young forward ultimately returning on a new deal, at least based off the other free agency moves that could be lined up ready for the Kuminga domino to fall.
The Warriors aren't looking to replace Jonathan Kuminga
Of the names that have been strongly linked to the Warriors as free agency targets over the past few days, none of them would be classified as Kuminga replacements. Golden State already lacks some forward options as it is, and there's been no indication of them targeting alternative options in the event that Kuminga does actually leave.
Free agent forwards like Chris Boucher and Trey Lyles have been speculated as potential fits for the Warriors, but that's more so by fans rather than any concrete reporting that suggests the front office actually has interest.
Instead, Golden State have been largely linked to free agent guards who could provide them more shooting. The franchise is expected to sign former guard De'Anthony Melton coming off a torn ACL, while Slater's report also notably mentioned the mutual interest between the Warriors and Seth Curry -- the younger brother of Stephen who is a 43.3% career 3-point shooter.
Golden State is also expected to sign Al Horford, having been linked to the 5x All-Star from the hours prior to free agency even beginning. While Horford and Kuminga are both front court players, they're essentially the exact opposite given the former is a savvy veteran center who's become a high-level 3-point shooter in the latter half of his career.
In fact, bringing in Horford actually makes more sense if you're also re-signing Kuminga. The hope would be that the 39-year-old can provide a balance to Kuminga's raw athleticism and power at the rim, while also not asking Steve Kerr to consistently have two young front court players on the floor at the same time in Kuminga and Quinten Post.
As much as fans are frustrated by the fact that Kuminga is stalling the franchise's free agency movement right now, the 22-year-old could be an important piece to bring back given the lack of insurance measures the Warriors have in place.