Many Golden State Warriors fans are already getting sick and increasingly frustrated of the Jonathan Kuminga situation, largely because of the way in which it's restricting other potential moves the front office wants to make.
Neither side appears to be winning from this current stand-off, and until one side actually blinks or an external party weighs in with both a big contract and trade offer, then this entire process may just be in its infancy.
The Warriors could be headed for a worst-case scenario
The idea of this Kuminga situation dragging on even further will be bad news for all fans, but that might be just what happens as Warriors insider Monte Poole detailed how it could go all the way into training camp on the latest episode of Dubs Talk on Wednesday.
“...Warriors may be, I hate to use the word stuck, but they may be, the Warriors coming into this situation may be stuck into training camp if nothing happens. And that might be the worst case scenario right there because that's not what either side really wants," Poole said.
Having this play out to this point over three weeks into free agency has been difficult enough, let alone having to potentially wait another two months for something to materialize. It is important to note, as @gswcba outlined on X (former Twitter) on Wednesday, that Kuminga will become trade-eligible mid-season even if this situation plays out far longer.
For Kuminga, the trade restriction when he re-signs is 3 months or January 15th, whichever comes later. https://t.co/Ct0oL2gkaD
— GSWCBA (@gswcba) July 23, 2025
Many had speculated on social media that Kuminga could remove his mid-season trade-eligibility in a way Lauri Markkanen did last offseason by waiting, but it's different for a free agent as opposed to the Utah Jazz forward who was contracted and got an extension.
That's important here because the likely scenario remains that Kuminga returns on a short-term deal that allows the Warriors flexibility to move him come January 15, by which point they'll be able to bring back his full outgoing salary in a trade.
That feels like the way Golden State want this to go, having clearly not received anywhere near enough value in sign-and-trade offers so far. They've already balked at a ridiculous offer from the Sacramento Kings that included Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second-round picks, while the Phoenix Suns have little to offer despite being linked to Kuminga last week.
Kuminga himself might be hoping that his stalling and prevention of other free agency moves may be enough to force the Warriors' hand into accepting low value from a team he wants to get to, but there appears to be no sign of that as the franchise preaches patience to a fanbase that's becoming agitated.