At long last, the saga is over. After rounds of negotiation, shade being thrown by agents on Twitter, and with less than 24 hours to go before the qualifying offer deadline, Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency has ended. The 22-year-old forward has re-signed with the Golden State Warriors.
Many rumored deals were on the table, but it seemed destined to go one of two ways: Kuminga would sign the qualifying offer, a one-year contract with a no-trade clause, or take the Warriors’ offer of three years and $75 million. Ultimately, the two sides hammered out a deal that falls between the two offers, and it has some interesting provisions.
The two-year deal is essentially two one-year deals. The team option means the Warriors could cut ties with Kuminga after the season if they don’t see a future for the pair. Because Kuminga signed a real contract instead of the qualifying offer, it also means that he is trade eligible on Jan. 15. That gives them one window to move him between Jan. 15 and the February deadline, or they could pick up his option and use him as trade ballast next offseason.
This move also hard-caps the Warriors $8 million under the second apron. With their roster up to 15 players, that $8 million is what they have to work with in the trade market. Kuminga’s deal being settled has allowed them to sign several players, such as Al Horford, Gary Payton II, De’Anthony Melton, and their newest addition, Seth Curry.
As a fun aside to the Kuminga debacle being settled, the Warriors get to add Steph’s little brother on a one-year deal. It’s a full-circle moment after Seth started his career with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G-League affiliate.
Ultimately, it’s a good deal for both sides. Kuminga is still being paid for the player he could be, not the player he is. He gets paid plenty of cash and has, at most, two years before he can hit free agency again as a 24-year-old. A win-win for both sides.
After wrapping up their free agency moves, the Warriors have the eighth-best odds to win the 2025-26 championship. That places them sixth in the Western Conference. Now that their roster is finalized, they can focus on winning their fifth title of the Steph Curry era.
