Kuminga Edging Closer to Warriors Nightmare Scenario
Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency shows no sign of ending. Both he and the Golden State Warriors have been locked in a stalemate all summer.
However, with training camp getting closer by the day, both sides must find an agreement sooner rather than later. According to a September 4 report by ClutchPoint’s NBA Insider Brett Siegel, it’s becoming increasingly more likely that Kuminga will opt into his qualifying offer.
“At the end of the day, Kuminga wants to feel valued, and the Warriors haven’t given him ample reasons to want to stay,” Siegel reported. “That is why all roads currently lead to Kuminga becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer and being able to choose his next home without the Dubs dictating such…With the way things have been trending, Kuminga’s “bluff” of accepting his qualifying offer appears to be on the verge of becoming the Warriors’ reality.”
Kuminga has reportedly rejected the Warriors’ previous offer, primarily due to the team option on the second year of the proposed deal. He is clearly disenchanted with his tenure in the Bay Area.
If he signs his qualifying offer, it will be the Warriors’ biggest nightmare coming true. Kuminga may feel empowered to make that decision now that Cam Thomas has done the same thing with his situation on the Brooklyn Nets. Thomas signed his qualifying offer on September 4.
Kuminga Signing Qualifying Offer Will Hurt Warriors
If Kuminga decides to sign his qualifying offer, it will be a blow to the Warriors. The franchise would lose its control over the situation. Kuminga would be free to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Therefore, Golden State’s leverage in trade negotiations would vanish.
As such, the Warriors would receive a significantly weaker trade package than if they had explored a sign-and-trade this summer. Furthermore, Kuminga would have more say on his next destination. He could essentially use his impending free agency as a no-trade clause by refusing to re-sign with a potential trade partner.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, if Kuminga decides to sign his qualifying offer, there’s nothing they can do. The standoff has to end, one way or another. Mike Dunleavy Jr. has tried multiple negotiation tactics.
At some point, you have to chalk it up to a loss. Furthermore, the Warriors must begin adding new talent to the roster ahead of preseason preparations. Enough time has been spent on Kuminga. Now, they must deal with whatever decision the former lottery pick decides to make.
Warriors’ Locker Room Remains Neutral
During a recent appearance on “Willard and Dibs” for 97.5 The Game, Brandin Podziemski discussed the impact of Kuminga’s restricted free agency on the rest of the roster. Podziemski noted how everybody still wants the explosive forward to be part of the Warriors moving forward.
“Obviously, everybody on our team knows it’s the media’s job to try to nitpick and find things to write and talk about and separate teammates so they have a story to write,” Podziemski said. “Everybody in the locker room knows no matter how that situation’s resolved, it doesn’t change our viewpoint of JK as a person [and] as a player. Obviously, we all want him to be in the Golden State. That’s the whole point. But it doesn’t change anything.”
Kuminga has reportedly drawn interest from the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns this summer. However, he’s unlikely to move teams until the February 2026 trade deadline, at the earliest.
Struggling Dodgers rookie must confirm he's not Gavin Lux 2.0 in September
There’s a reason why infielder Alex Freeland is the No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and the No. 42 prospect in all of baseball.
Freeland does everything on a baseball field well. He does not have a single below-average tool on the scouting 20-80 scale. In the minor leagues, Freeland's ability to get on base paired with his elite defense and gap-to-gap power earned him an opportunity in Major League Baseball.
In 94 games at Triple-A this season, Freeland walked 75 times and hit 26 doubles. The Dodgers were smart to give him a chance, but his first month in the big leagues hasn’t gone as well as everyone hoped.
Freeland is hitting just .198 in 81 at-bats with the Dodgers this season. While his on-base percentage is still over .300, Freeland is still leaving a lot to be desired offensively. His OPS is .622 due to the low batting average and him only having five extra-base hits. Thanks to his defense on the infield, Freeland is still better than a replacement level player, with 0.3 fWAR on the season.
With a little development and a full season of playing time, there’s a reason to believe Freeland can be a quality regular at the big league level. But when it comes to playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he needs to be more than that.
Freeland needs to prove he’s not Gavin Lux 2.0 with Dodgers
Gavin Lux is a great example of this. Lux was a starter for the Dodgers in 2022 in 2024. He missed the entire 2023 season with an injury.
Lux was never a bad Dodger. In fact, his OPS was above .700 and his OPS+ was right at or above 100 in both of his seasons as a starter. He totaled 4.1 fWAR in those two seasons combined.
That being said, the standard in Los Angeles is higher. Being league average or a quality regular isn’t good enough to earn guaranteed playing time. The Dodgers are an organization that is always looking to upgrade, and they did so in the offseason.
The addition of Hyeseong Kim allowed Los Angeles to move on from Gavin Lux in a trade, shipping him to the Cincinnati Reds.
Lux has been fine with Cincinnati. He’s batting .274 with a 100 OPS+ and 0.4 fWAR, but the Dodgers aren’t really missing anything having traded him.
As the 2025 regular season winds down in September, Alex Freeland needs to prove that he’s more than an average infielder like Lux. That might be harsh for a rookie, but Freeland is already 24 years old and the Dodgers demand excellence.
He needs to find more of those extra-base hits that he had in Triple-A. The offense simply needs to improve. If not, the Dodgers will have no choice but to view Freeland as a plus defender, and slightly below average bat that can be replaced at the first opportunity in any offseason.
It’s a big month for the rookie to prove he belongs in Los Angeles.
