Jonathan Kuminga gives Golden State Warriors 20 days to avoid unwanted but ‘anticipated’ outcome
Jonathan Kuminga has seemingly made up his mind about what he wants to do with the Golden State Warriors this offseason.
The Golden State Warriors have made an absolute mess of their offseason with the way they’ve handled the Jonathan Kuminga situation
This summer, Kuminga became a restricted free agent. However, he has made it clear he doesn’t want to return to the Warriors, even though he hasn’t received any concrete offers from other teams.
In turn, the Warriors have shut down sign-and-trade talks with multiple NBA teams, as they hope that Kuminga accepts their $45 million contract offer.
While some felt that the Warriors would cave to Kuminga’s demands, it appears the young forward has made his decision, and it’s one the Warriors will not like.
Jonathan Kuminga set to sign $7.9 million qualifying offer
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area put out a report about the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga situation, especially with Cam Thomas and Josh Giddey’s recent contract dealings.
He noted that Kuminga would rather sign the $7.9 million qualifying offer, which gives him a no-trade clause. And as things stand, the Warriors have till October 1st to avoid this outcome.
“Kuminga has shown more interest in the qualifying offer – which gives him trade veto power and puts him on the market next summer – than the two-year deal preferred by Golden State that pays more but diminishes his leverage.
“A third option could be looming, but the Warriors’ payroll has much less latitude than that of the Nets… Kuminga signing the qualifying offer remains the anticipated outcome. The deadline to do so is Oct. 1.”
Golden State Warriors’ free agent targets waiting for clarity on future
As for the other stars the Golden State Warriors want to land, Poole is reporting that they are still waiting on this situation to clear up, and are desperate to know what their future will be.
“Meanwhile, Al Horford and the rest of the veterans in Golden State’s waiting room are quietly pleading for clarity.”
The Warriors put their offseason on pause for Jonathan Kuminga, as they wanted to resolve that situation before making any new signings.
That decision has come back to haunt them, as the Warriors have yet to make any major signings to their roster.
Oilers Cleared in Evander Kane LTIR Investigation
The NHL has closed its investigation into the Edmonton Oilers' usage of long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and found no wrongdoing, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters Tuesday. As a result, the Oilers will not receive any punishment, either retroactive or for the upcoming season.
The investigation centered on Edmonton's handling of forward Evander Kane, who did not play at all during the regular season but returned for Game 2 of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. He then scored six goals and 12 points in 21 playoff games while averaging 16:29 of ice time to help the Oilers reach their second-straight Stanley Cup Final, where they once again lost to the Florida Panthers.
Kane being on LTIR took his $5.125 million cap hit off the Oilers' books, which helped them acquire defenseman Jake Walman and forward Trent Frederic at the trade deadline. The Oilers were far from the first team to use this loophole to add players at the deadline, but for unknown reasons, the league decided to look into their usage of it more closely.
The league is set to close this loophole with the new CBA, which won't fully go into effect until the 2026-27 season, but some changes are already going into effect this season.
Starting this season, teams will be retired to ice a cap-compliant lineup for each playoff game, whereas the salary cap previously ceased to take effect once the postseason rolled around. Teams such as the Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights have iced lineups far above the cap in previous years, though not without significant controversy.
Teams will also receive less LTIR relief for injured players, now capping out at around $3.8 million for one player instead of their full cap hit. This has already had major ramifications around the league, most recently forcing the Montreal Canadiens to trade the contract of legendary goaltender Carey Price after previously having his entire $10.5 million cap hit off the books for the past few years.
The Oilers traded Kane, 34, to the Vancouver Canucks this offseason in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick. The trade was mostly to clear his salary with major extensions due over the next year and change.
Kane scored 62 goals and 111 points in 162 regular season games during his time in Edmonton, plus 26 goals and 42 points in 68 postseason games.
