Jonathan Kuminga's free agency drama is not only the biggest talking point surrounding the Golden State Warriors right now, but it's also providing the perfect distraction for an even worse situation at a rival team.
Much has been made of Kuminga's relationship with the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr, a lot of which was discussed again in Thursday's major report from ESPN's Anthony Slater. However, Kuminga is just one of four restricted free agents whose future is still up in the air nearly a month on from the period officially opening.
While Kuminga's future may have dominated headlines on Thursday, the Chicago Bulls may actually be in a worse spot when it comes to their own restricted free agent in Josh Giddey.
Josh Giddey's situation in Chicago is the most strained
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report on Thursday, Giddey's situation in Chicago is the most strained of the four restricted free agents which comprises of he, Kuminga, Quentin Grimes in Philadelphia, and Cam Thomas in Brooklyn.
"The last I spoke to someone on the phone directly about that situation -- Josh Giddey's situation did not seem super amicable," Fischer said. "Josh Giddey in Chicago is the most strained situation from a restricted free agent and his incumbent team."
Giddey and Kuminga have been linked since their entry to the league given they were the sixth and seventh overall picks in 2021 respectively. More recently they've again been intertwined as restricted free agents, including reports from Fischer that Kuminga's camp was looking for a way for both to be paid at the Bulls this offseason.
There's an added layer to the Giddey situation in comparison to Kuminga, with the young point guard having been drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder before being dealt to the Bulls last offseason for Alex Caruso. While neither team wants their player to walk for nothing or with little in return, that's even more so the case for the Bulls considering they only traded for Giddey 12 months ago.
Giddey's situation is also more to do about money rather than his actually on-court role. The 22-year-old is the starting point guard in Chicago and averaged 30 minutes per game last season, with Fischer saying that Giddey and his camp are after something around the $30 million per year range, while Chicago are closer to the $20 million mark.
On the other hand, Slater reported that the Warriors believe their offer to Kuminga is the highest starting salary available to him on the market. Even still, his future earning potential may remain limited if he doesn't believe Kerr and Golden State will give him the playing opportunity that others will.
The Bulls are fortunate that the Kuminga drama is taking its fair share of the headlines, otherwise much more focus would be surrounding their own big problem with their most proven young player.