The standoff between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors has reached a new level. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Kuminga is refusing to accept the Warriors’ current offers and is actively exploring other options with his agent, including potential trades to teams offering a bigger role. Despite Golden State’s desire to resolve the situation before finalizing other offseason moves, Kuminga is in no hurry to commit.
“They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves, said Shams Charania on NBA Today. “Johnathan Kuminga told me that he is in absolutely no rush to deal with the Warriors right now, and he’s not accepting their current offers. He added that he wants to continue to explore options with his agent, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also in trade options that are available to them in the marketplace.”
The contract standoff with Kuminga has effectively frozen the Warriors’ offseason strategy. As a restricted free agent this summer, Kuminga can (and seemingly has been) negotiate with other teams, but the Warriors have the right to match any offer he receives. At this point, Golden State has been unwilling to give him the contract he seeks (at least $25 million per year), but the Kings and Suns are teams that may be willing to meet his demands.
“The Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that have made concrete offers with the Warriors over the last week or so,” Shams continued. “They’re two of the more aggressive teams. With Kuminga, they’re also offering him an opportunity for significant minutes and a starting caliber role in their lineup. The Warriors do not want anything that is available to them being offered to them through sign-and-trades. On the other hand, with Jonathan Kuminga, he is not ready to move forward with taking any of the current offers.”
Kuminga was drafted with the 7th overall pick in 2021. After a modest rookie season that ended with a championship ring, Kuminga gradually became a bigger part of the rotation, but never found consistency. Over the past few years, especially in the 2024-25 campaign, Kuminga has been subject to frequent DNPs, and his minutes have fluctuated wildly.
The last straw was Golden State’s reported lowball offer, which fell far short of Kuminga’s expected $25 million per year target. With averages of 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 45.4% shooting last season (at just 22 years old), Kuminga knows he is capable of making a bigger impact, and the Kings or Suns would be the perfect opportunity for him.
In Sacramento, Kuminga could help the Kings return to contention in the West alongside Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine. At the very least, his presence would make things more interesting for a team with minimal expectations.
The Suns may be the best team of all for Jonathan. While Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are gone, they still have Devin Booker and a strong supporting cast (Jalen Green, Mark Williams, Dillon Brooks, and Grayson Allen) that can compete with the best in the West. The Suns, like the Kings, offer Kuminga the chance to play a much bigger role, but it’s still a mystery where he’ll end up.
Wherever Kuminga goes, his message is loud and clear: he wants to be more than just a role player. After years of feeling underutilized in Golden State’s motion-heavy offense, the 22-year-old forward is determined to secure a larger role and the payday that comes with it.
Whether that happens in Sacramento, Phoenix, or somewhere else remains to be seen. But as long as Kuminga remains unsigned, the Warriors’ offseason plans will remain stuck in limbo, and the pressure to resolve the situation will only continue to mount.
