Warriors Have Easy Fix to Kuminga Standoff, Says ESPN Reporter

Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors remain in a stalemate despite resuming talks.

The long-drawn, messy situation between the restricted free agent and the Warriors is threatening to sabotage Stephen Curry‘s bid to compete for a championship in his 17th season.

ESPN’s senior NBA writer Ramona Shelburne proposed an “easy solution” to end the stalemate and get the Warriors moving forward with their offseason.

“I think he’s going to be on the Warriors,” Shelburne said of Kuminga on “NBA Today” on Aug. 15.  And the only question is, how much are they paying him? I think there’s an easy solution here, which is that the Warriors give him an extra year. It’ll be like a two-plus-one, where he has a little more control, a little more guaranteed money.”

The Warriors have been standing firm on their two-year, $45 million contract offer to Kuminga, with the second year a team option, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported on “NBA Today.”

Jonathan Kuminga Does Not Want to Become ‘Pawn’

That offer does not sit well with Kuminga, who was also asked to relinquish the no-trade clause.

Slater added Kuminga’s camp used the word “pawn” in describing the Warriors’ offer, which is designed to get traded midseason.

“Kuminga wants more of a player-friendly deal, more of a signal that he’s a building block, not a trade asset,” Slater explained.

Shelburne said she thinks the Warriors see Kuminga as a “building block,” especially with his affinity for team owner Joe Lacob.

“And I do think the Warriors see him as somebody who’s, if he wants to call it, a building block, I don’t know if I would call it that, but somebody they want around for a long time, because they have 35-year-olds on their team,” Shelburne added. “I know the owner, Joe Lacob has told him this. He loves Jonathan Kuminga. He is the reason that they’ve never included him in trades, because they see the potential in him.”

Their high regard for Kuminga was explicitly shown in their sign-and-trade talks that did not prosper.

What the Warriors Want in Sign-And-Trade

The Warriors had already rejected offers from the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.

The Suns have offered the Warriors Royce O’Neale, Nick Richards and all their available second-round picks on top of the four-year, $90 million offer to Kuminga. On the other hand, the Kings initially offered Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second-round picks before improving it to Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick on top of their three-year, $63 million offer to Kuminga.

The Warriors have been seeking an unprotected first-round pick and a Bobby Portis-caliber player.

ClutchPoint’s Brett Siegel previously reported that the Warriors have asked for Portis when the Milwaukee Bucks inquired about Kuminga.

“It is also worth mentioning that the Milwaukee Bucks were another team that kicked around the idea of pursuing Kuminga. If they were to do so, the Warriors made it known they would want Bobby Portis in a sign-and-trade scenario, which is something Milwaukee wasn’t willing to do,” Siegel wrote. “The Dubs have held interest in Portis dating back to before the 2024 NBA trade deadline.”