As the NBA offseason rages on, so does the drama surrounding Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors. The 22-year-old has denied the Dubs’ latest extension offers and is hoping to get scooped up in restricted free agency. The problem is that the numbers don’t spell good news for Kuminga or the Warriors. How does that work? NBA insider Bobby Marks breaks it down.
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Marks spoke about Kuminga’s holdout on the latest edition of NBA on ESPN, where he unveiled how difficult the situation is for both sides. He stated that the metaphorical ball is in Kuminga’s hands to get things rolling.
“Jonathan Kuminga will have a decision,” Marks began. “There is that $8 million qualifying offer that’s sitting there. That will sit there until October 1st. Once [it is] October 1st, unless Golden State decides to extend it, there will be no more qualifying offer and Jonathan Kuminga will still be a restricted free agent without an $8 million number to work off of.”
The Warriors did make Kuminga a pretty decent offer, at least, that’s what Marks believed. “Shams and Anthony Slater have reported two [years] for $45 million, which is a fair deal when you look at it with a team option in the second year.”
“The only restricted free agents that have signed for more than $20 million in the last three years have been Tyrese Maxey. We can throw him off the board, Cam Johnson, and Immanuel Quickley,” added Marks. Now, Maxey had All-Star potential, so his deal made sense. Johnson solidified himself as a bright spot in a woeful Nets team and has the ‘3-and-D’ archetype that is so valued in the league today.
Marks then ranted about why Quickley’s deal created even more contractual problems for agents and NBA organizations.
“The Immanuel Quickley contract, that five for $150 million in bonuses and almost gets to $160 million, has totally screwed up restricted free agency. That’s where agents are looking at the benchmark. Certainly, Josh Giddey is like, ‘I want that contract there.’ That number has screwed up a lot of things.”
Man, if that ain’t the truth. Quickley is a fine player, but in what world has he earned $33 million per year? No wonder Kuminga is holding out. He thinks $20 million per year is an underpay when really, like Marks mentioned, it’s more than fair.
Unfortunately, the issue is how this fiasco with Kuminga messes with the Warriors’ cap and potential to make moves in the offseason and the regular season. Marks calls it a “lose-lose” situation, but thinks that the Dubs are in a tougher spot than the player is.
“How I look at it for Golden State is that Jonathan Kuminga now is on a one-year deal for $8 million. He has a de facto no-trade clause. He can veto any trade,” the analyst stated. “Trading Jonathan Kuminga at a $22 million salary is a lot easier than trading Jonathan Kuminga at an $8 million salary if you’re ready to go hunting for a big name.”
So what does this mean? Nothing for the Warriors at the moment since Kuminga has yet to make a decision. What is known is that certain teams are making a play for the power forward, including the Sacramento Kings, who purposefully negotiated with Golden State in an effort to be first on the bid line for Kuminga.
One thing is for certain: this summer has been a wild turn of events, and it’s only August. There are still several months before the 2025-2026 season kicks off, and as this offseason has already proven, wild events can occur at any moment.
