The Warriors are the only team that hasn’t made a roster move since free agency began, and they’re probably stuck until the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved, cap expert Yossi Gozlan explains in his Third Apron column (subscriber link).
Golden State is believed to have deals in place with Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, but those signings can’t be finalized while Kuminga is still on the market. If the Warriors use their taxpayer mid-level exception, they will become hard-capped at the $207.8MM second apron. That creates an opportunity for a team to open up cap space and make an offer to Kuminga at close to $30MM per year, which Golden State wouldn’t be able to match.
Gozlan views a sign-and-trade as the best outcome for both sides, but he adds that if the Warriors wind up re-signing Kuminga, they’ll likely want to keep his salary in the $22-23MM range. That would allow them to use the taxpayer MLE and add three more players on minimum contracts while remaining below the hard cap.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- After a strong Summer League performance, it looks like rookie Nique Clifford will be able to help the Kings right away, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Clifford was a First Team All-Summer League selection, and team officials believe he’s versatile enough to handle either guard spot as well as small forward. Anderson adds that Isaac Jones and Devin Carter also showed that they’re ready for larger roles, while rookie center Maxime Raynaud will enter camp with a chance to become the primary backup center.
- What’s next for Lakers forward LeBron James as he enters his 23rd NBA season? Marc Stein tackles that topic in his latest Substack article, speculating that the 2025/26 season will be James’ last with the Lakers but not his last as an NBA player, though he makes it clear that’s more of a “gut-feel read” than hard reporting. Stein adds that he thinks James has some “genuine curiosity” about the idea of playing in Dallas, even though he and his family are “extremely settled” in Los Angeles.
- Jared Butler‘s new one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Suns is a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, but doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language, Hoops Rumors has learned. That suggests Butler likely won’t be playing for Phoenix’s G League team if he doesn’t earn a spot on the regular season roster.
Kuminga isn’t worth this drama. How does this payout in GS? Either you get him for what YOU wanted him at and he’s unhappy about it. Or you over pay and you’re unhappy about it. Horford and Melton are nice pieces to this team. With Kuminga and those two seems more unlikely the further this goes on. And Kuminga bring in no hurry doesn’t help.
I saw the other day GP2 cap hold $17 mil. Is Golden State waiting until that guy has no option anywhere else and then signs for the minimum in Golden State? Couldn’t they do more in renouncing his rights? Not to mention Gary could try looking after himself a little better. Not just me, but others on here have also thought the Warriors have been guilty in the past of playing guys like Moody and Kumingas dollars down. Not the first time, they didn’t want to pay Gary yet, ultimately ended up paying him though. I don’t think the franchise is without blame here. Kuminga will get a decent contract in my opinion.
Cap holds only matter to a team using cap space. The aprons dont care about the cap hold they only care about the players once they are under contract.
Cheers, I did notice this on trade machine just now. Still comes off the cap though or not? Just doesn’t effect the aprons.
Yeah you have to renounce cap holds if your under and want to use more but have FA your not planning to bring him back.
Teams “trying to contend” also dont leave much room for youngsters. Kerr has never really pushed for rookie or younger minutes until they have the acumen for GS system. Hes Pop trained and if you dont buy in fully to the grand scheme you get penched in favor of those that do. Moody is actually a good example of that. He got better at the team game than Kuminga and earned his minutes. To where other teams started calling on Moody
You get him on a 2+1 at like 23/26/30, and he knows he will get a year and a half with the new team that wants him enough to trade for him to prove he is worth the contract he wants when he opts out after making 49M. He knows at that point that he is auditioning from the start of the season till mid dec through the deadline for a team to want him as a main piece. The better he performs the easier to get where he wants to go.
You just cant really do much until dec 15th with BYC making any trade super imbalanced, and limiting GSW to a 12M player coming back, which isnt a salary slot many good rotation players make.
Kuminga has nothing to do with this. Warriors let it get here. They control his rights especially with new CBA. Kerr and Warriors have wavered on Kuminga cause his shooting has been inconsistent. They could have moved him long ago. Thunder moved Giddey cause they didn’t believe. Knicks moved Quickley cause they didn’t believe. Warriors made their own bed.
Knicks moved Quickley because it got them OG. It had nothing to do with their belief in him.
He was due a contract . Try and keep up. Raptors rejected their offer year before. Then Quickley had a big year. This ain’t about Q. It’s about Kuminga. And holding onto players. Knicks moved on at right time. As did Thunder. Got best value. You understand that. Warriors are stuck cause of stalling.
I don’t care about Kuminga. You made a statement about Quickley that I responded to. Can you keep up?
Try reading comprehension ….
You need me to write it again ????
I didn’t make a statement about Quickley. I made a statement about Kuminga and his situation in GS. I used Giddey and Quickley to show how teams moved on at the right time. Instead of letting it get to RFA with new CBA. Warriors not knowing when to cut the chord. Nothing to do with OG.
Warriors shown to over value their assets but their treatment shows undervalued. Kuminga is still so raw technically. I think Kerr sees there’s more and want him to earn the more in the money pool not just be handed a bag and then what?
So what does it have to do with? According to your examples, if those trades were made bc their teams “didn’t believe” in them presumably, the Dubs failing to deal Kuminga means they do believe in him..? Hard to follow…
The problem is no team wants to pay Kuminga over $25M, which is also what GSW is likely maxing out on. Kuminga is waiting for a market that does not exist. Teams do want him, but only want to pay him what GSW also will pay him.
Also: MDJ is stacking his chips for a Giannis trade, Kuminga HAS to be kept or flipped for 1sts and a good young player the Bucks would want. Signing Kuminga and putting him on ice until December 15 is also a move MDJ will likely make instead of trading him for Saric and a 2nd right now, like the dumb Kings want to do.
Yes but Kuminga still needs to play well going forward. Will he be happy enough to raise his value? Secondly, his contract needs to be big enough.
Now I can see why others think we’re the same person, Davey J. The recent articles about Kawakami’s speculation as to what the Dubs are up to is not news to me – or anyone else for that matter. For fear of upsetting arc89, I won’t mention the player’s name again for now – but he’s been the one and only I’ve been wanting the Dubs to add, not just THIS offseason but every offseason for this entire decade. Horford and Melton would be nice, but they’re not helping bring a 5th ring for Chef unless Chef has another prolific scorer by his side.
just please don’t claim Giannis or Lebron those are just pipe dreams by every NBA fan that wants them to come to their team. Warriors just have no money to make a trade for a high price player.
Warriors fans lol ……..
We have been here for two yrs now. With all the same takes and rumors. Still arguing about what Kuminga is worth. His worth doesn’t matter. Only what you can get for him. He is not a fit here. And he will never stay here. He has till October 1st to sign his QO. Which means Warriors can’t sign anyone till then.
Extract Warriors and insert “any other fanbase” we are here as fanatics. So much your team is in your name….
I 100% don’t want LeBron in Boston no matter the contract. Nope.
What would Giannis have to do with getting here with Kuminga. Warriors have blown their best asset to upgrade team NOW. Davey J is a FankenStein.
Giannis is signed thru 2027-28. If Warriors gave up Curry, Dra, Jimmy you couldn’t get him. If Bucks move Giannis. It will be to rebuild. Not to accommodate the Warriors.
Giannis been Davey’s pipe dream for 5 years now. The warriors would be out bidded by 28 of the teams for Giannis. Things that will never happen for $800 Alex…
23m$ on a contender is better than 30 on a pretender
Kuminga wants to play on a bad team. All he cares about is the ball in his hands. He wants 20 shots a night. Kuminga comes with physical gifts and mental baggage.
What mental baggage? Wanting to play after being a top 10 pick? Kerr keeps benching him. Kerr gotta go.
Needs a new agent
That you Davey….can’t blame the man for setting himself up. Not like the Warriors have helped his career. You’d give up $7 mil per year wouldn’t you?
False. $7m more for the same job, is just $7m more.
What? So $23m is better than $30m per? OK. What’s false here? And do the math over 3 or 4 yrs. You as crazy as Davey, Giants and Aristotle. Finish primary school?
There’s a chance Aircastle is responding to Davey. That’s how it reads to me.
It’s the “same job” but seven million more is what it is. More money.
Davey is suggesting it’s not the same job but rather one job is better than the other.
Not to get in the business of you two, but that’s just how it reads to me.
aircastle if I’m off base then well OK.., there goes my Sunday. It was nice for a while. Lol.
He wasn’t. Might be Davey or Giants.
Unless you’re a pretender
The Warriors have Known for two years they didn’t want Kuminga. All Kerr did was kill his value last year. Instead of moving him. They have dragged this on. Then Jimmy comes and relights the contender fire. So now they need value for Kuminga. A player they have been dogging for last two yrs. DAM
Kuminga saved their Aaa with a solid playoff showing. And some teams had to be impressed. Yet instead of moving him after season or at draft. While the playoffs was still fresh in everyone’s mind. They let this become a Telenovela. And try and make Kuminga look bad …….. another DAM
I have been saying it for two YEARS now.
They blew it with Wiseman and are now blowing it with Kuminga. They let it get here to RFA. Now can’t sign anyone till they settle Kumingas money first ……..
So now he is suppose to help you. How ??
Taking less money only means less value coming back in a trade ….. so again another DAM
just stop it Al. Kuninga did not save the warriors. Kuminga only wants the big money. He could have resigned last year for a good contract but held out for a max. Hwe still wants a max and no team is willing to give it to him.
Dude you really don’t know ball. Warriors have killed his value. He absolutely save them. Only you don’t understand that. Cause you have to be a baller to get that. He had a good showing when he played in playoffs. So in the eyes of other teams. He raised his value by showing potential. You really can’t see that lol. The Warriors are not your family. You don’t have to defend them on everything.
You are wrong again. He doesn’t want the money. He wants out. He knows in a different situation he will get paid. Of course he won’t turn down a decent contract. But he is not staying. He will sign if he is moved. And right now it’s looking like the QO is best way to get this done.
You have spent two yrs criticizing Kuminga a kid. And apologizing for Warriors and their actions towards him. Truth is Kerr himself has said it many times the last three years. He is just not made for his system. So why force him to stay. You rather have fans like you cry about his failures. Than just get other talent. Warriors could have moved on at draft. It was their best shot. Yet we are here. Still being critical and crying. Just bad business bad basketball bad sense.
The best time to move him was at the draft. Now it will only get worse. Knicks gave up Obi for 2nd rd picks. They gave up Grimes for to move Fournier. Both players were coming to RFA. Warriors have done this to themselves. Why can’t you accept that
Stop crying AL. Kumionga wants his money and his playing time. Do you see him wanting to sign for less than his going rate of around $20 million? Of course not. He wants his money and leave too. i do agree they should have moved him at the draft and could have received a player for him. That being said if Suns want him they have a drafted big man they could trade. What you don’t know is Lacob holding up the trade offers before. For some reason Lacob loves Kuminga and said in the past he doesn’t want to ever trade him. Its going to end up Kuminga taking the QO and be free next year. I don’t see it coming out any different unless some team offers warriors 1st rounders and no scrub players.
Kuminga saved nobodies nothing
Jared Butler played well last yr. Suns should give him a good look. I think they got him cheap.
I think Steph being a classy player distracts from the rest of the team and organization being totally classless. Jordan Poole was just a couple years back. Handled it poorly. Now drama over Kuminga? Give me a break
Why do you consider the other players to be “classless”?
Why do I consider draymind green to be classless?
To be fair, there’s plenty of drama on many teams; we just don’t get to hear it, or those teams don’t draw as much attention due to status.
I’ve always said that there are anywhere from 8 to 14 players with one foot out of the door on every NBA team at any given time. And that at least half of the players on each team are not happy with their situation, to varying degrees.
From Pippen to KD and Looney, it’s nothing special.
Give yourself a break… you deserve it… next post. Life is full of choices
So 6 efficient summer league games means a 5 yr senior is a lock for the Kings?
Best of luck on succeeding with that perennial losing team, Nique!
Yawn… Kuminga is not wanted by other teams as he wants to be so he will just sit and wait for the QO to become his last contract for the warriors. Funny how a young player who feels he is an all star can’t find 1 team willing to trade a 1st rounder and usebale parts for him.
It’s also funny he’s unwilling to come together with the Warriors in the scenario presented in the article above. 22 or 23 million and give him some kind of opt out after two years and he can go get his big money. He’s still extremely young so there’s lots of time
But the fact he won’t budge and he’s holding the Warriors hostage here is not creating a friendly environment.
JK is holding up an entire franchise off-season game plan and roster construction, including Al Horford, DeAndre Melton, and three minimum contracts as spelled out in the article.
I guess I find it hard to blame Kuminga here – he probably feels he’s been screwed by Kerr and because of that is not overly oriented towards making things easier on the team by accepting the QO.
Kuminga is not making the decisions but his agent who told him a fairy tale. They offered him a big contract last year that would pay him around 23 to 25 a year for mutiple years but he wanted a max extension. That money was used on Butler. So he screwed himself over for not atking the offer.
It’s both sides and they need to learn from it.
This could be part of the reason why Bob Myers quit. He probably knows that he’s really great in negotiations but really poor in evaluating Young talent.
It’s on the Warriors and it’s on the player to some degree. I feel very strongly about that.
Do you want things to happen? YOU have to make things happen. That’s just life.
But both sides need to learn from this. That’s life too. We make mistakes, learn, and move on.
Everyone knows Lacob is a big Kuminga fan so take that factor into the equation that Lacob has not approved past trades for Kuminga.
Yes, we can play blame game all we want and we all have opinions. But the point is it’s not good for the team and future. When our draft picks dont pan out, the team suffers. When our picks dont develop and dont act professionally or dont get paid, the team also suffers. We had all this time to build rapport with all these players and we have nothing to show for. Warriors scrwed up so much with those 3 first round picks. We had every opportunity to trade up to draft Edwards but felt he was too cocky, etc. Kerr, FO all got too cocky, arrogant, sensitive for our own good. Bottom line is the team failed with those draft picks and the 2 timelines. :(
the jury is still out on Moody. He was playing very well with the starting team until the injury happened. its the Warriors I blame for still using Moody when it was obvious his injury effected his play. Why not be honest and put him on NA list and play Kuminga in his spot?
Because Kuminga was in the doghouse? Because Kuminga was mentally checked out and played awful? Because Moody committed with team friendly contract? Because they wanted to raise Moody’s trade value? Who knows, but it was a disastrous season for Kuminga.
@gary He is putting a huge amount of pressure on himself to perform at an all star level. If the warriors have a rough year the fans will blame Kuminga. Can he handle being booed a lot? Fans do not like players that hurt a team. He folded before when pressure is on him.
How is that lol. He doesn’t even get mins. You are clueless lol.
If Curry doesn’t get hurt. He never shows he is still worth a shot to other teams. We are way pass plaing in GS. He is a goner. He wants nothing to to do with your team.
I don’t care if he leaves or stays. the problem is the warriors lose the value he is to the new team. I would love to see even 1 team offer them a 1st round pick and a usable players.
Gary- Come on, man. Do you not believe every party in a business negotiation acts in their own self-interests?
Why would a player sacrifice 2 more years of his career if he believes it wouldn’t be in his interest? The coach has publicly announced after the season that he doesn’t believe he fits with the team. If Kerr benches Kuminga over that period, his next contract will be even worse.
After 4 years, every player should go where he feels wanted, and avoid where he’s not.
No one has cap to sign him. Stop lying ……
name the teams?
No one … all of them. No team can offer a contract. I can write it in French or Spanish
That is why all 3 of the RFA are sitting and not signing.
Both sides of this equation have to look at the scenario as it presents itself in real time.
Kuminga wants a certain dollar amount and the Warriors are not willing to pay that.
The agent has to do a lot better job of informing Jonathan what the end of this dark tunnel looks like.
$7.9 million.
Doesn’t matter who’s at fault for his development. Learn from it and move on. Both sides !!
What matters now is resolution.
He’s asking for 30 and the JK team know for a fact the Warriors could cut that check tonight, but it would hamper their ability to add anyone else. So they’re not going to do that.
The agent has to see this and drawing that line in the sand at this point is not doing anyone any good. The agent has to see it leads to that light at the end of the tunnel. 7.9 million.
JK needs to take the 22 or 23 million.
Then the dominoes fall into place and the Warriors can compete for a play-in spot next season.
Side note here that’s sort of important to some of you Warriors naysayers.
You’ll notice that a handshake wink wink deal from the warriors is a promise you can take to the bank.
Al Horford, DeAndre Melton, and perhaps even a minimum guy or two that we haven’t heard about yet, are delighted to wait on the Warriors to take care of business.
No problem at all.
Other teams? Not sure the trust is there so they’ll go get their own.
Stop the lies. First there is mo offers from Warriors.
Next NO TEAM has cap space to sign players. Cause if they wanted to. It would be done. Only Warriors will offer Horford more than minimum. So he has to wait.
> Al Horford, DeAndre Melton… are delighted to wait
> on the Warriors to take care of business.
Agree that Lacob / Dunleavey know the importance of keeping their word.
But I’m not sure that Horford and Melton, assuming they’d like to be Warriors, are “delighted” about the waiting and the uncertainty. And, you can bet both have had fallback options from the get-go. They’re sitting pretty.
ari.
They are delighted.
No fallback options.
Gary, I HOPE you’re right about Horford being delighted about the wait because we’re screwed otherwise at this point. But his agent is rumored to be talking to multiple teams. (See below.)
I’m much more cynical based on the last 5 years. We’ve been in this same situation several times — confidently waiting on a veteran player that *reportedly* favors GSW — only to get bad news ln the end.
– Mark Gasol in 2020 to the Lakers.
– Nick Baum In 2020 to the Clippers
– Patty Mills in 2021 to the Nets.
– Danilo Gallinari in 2022 to the Celtics.
– Yuta Watanabe in 2023 to the Suns.
My point: we’ve been over-confident in the past.
There’s plenty of rumors today about Horford talking to the Pacers (Thomas Bryant just departed to Europe), San Antonio, and, even, Atlanta (Horford’s home town).
Just think of this. The Warriors cannot go into the season as they stand. They have to have a couple of veterans like that.
If the risk was losing their commitments they would just give Jonathan Kuminga his money or let him walk, and then get those deals done and be finished with it.
They’d be a tax paying second apron below the belt of the 3rd shoulder pad team at that point instead of being below it…, or something like that. I’m a little fuzzy on the cap stuff.
I mean, wouldn’t you rather have Al Horford for a year than committed to Jonathan Kuminga at 30,000,000×5?
So the fact that they’re waiting on the JK situation to run its course is telling me that it’s all OK with the other two guys plus maybe one or two others.
The one or two others being minimum contracts you’d probably have to guarantee them two years. They could get their 1 year minimum elsewhere unless they really want to play for Golden State.
Anyway, no worries.
> If the risk was losing their commitments they would
> just give Jonathan Kuminga his money or let him
> walk, and then get those deals done and be finished
> with it.
There is no “let him walk” scenario, unless you mean tell Sacramento, Phoenix, and the rest of the NBA that we won’t match any free agent offer. Is that what you mean?
I don’t know what I mean because it’s not going to get that far.
Those guys were committed to sign with the Warriors?
I remember Nic Batum and I thought it was just a hope.
He may have said he liked the Warriors but decided against it.
There was no wink wink handshake deal with Nicholas Batum, but if the others were promises to sign, I was not aware of it.
Here’s another way to think of it.
GMS and agents, etc. OFTEN make trades weeks before they become official. It’s illegal to do the trade because they have to wait to get all their ducks in a row or a certain dates or whatever it is.
But the handshake gets it done. Only once or twice in the last 30 years, have I heard of a deal breaking down because someone backed out after a handshake. Was it Carlos Boozer?
Gary, All I’m saying is that every one of those guys was at some point “rumored” to be favoring the Warriors as a free agent destination. Facts are unavailable and conditions change rapidly.
Respectfully, you make a LOT of assumptions. Yes, there’s some reason to believe there is side agreement with Horford and/or Melton, but we only guess at the conditions, and especially FOR HOW LONG the understanding is in place.
Kuminga could wait until October 1 to formally reject all offers, and stick with the qualifying offer.
Will Horford and Melton wait another 9 weeks? How about 4 weeks?
Yes.
Nine weeks four weeks whatever.
A handshake deal is good for some. The Warriors are part of that some.
Ari if you and I make a handshake deal, I’ve only known you a while, but I feel that you would honor a handshake deal. I just know it.
Some people we doubt but you’re one of those guys and Al Horford is one of those guys.
DeAndre Melton is one of those guys.., he’s seen the Warriors and how they operate he’s seen them in his rehab after he got hurt.
He’s heard them say we want to sign you when you come back next year.
It’s all good Ari. Don’t worry.
Gary, I’m not communicating well… I’m suggesting that some conditions around length of time and expiration are part of the handshake agreement (as with any/all agreements).
In other words, Dunleavey and the agents for Horford and Melton had this kind of understanding: “GSW is expecting to resolve the blocking free-agent issue by (for this example) August 15, and both sides will sign the contract then.”
I guess that unlike you, I don’t believe the players expected to wait 2-4 months to sign. And, I suspect that Dunleavey is working the phones regularly to reassure and, as important, to remind them. Do you know the saying, “Verbal promises are written in sand” ?
P.S. I have completely forgotten about Carlos Boozer, but I do remember De’Andre Jordan backing out of an agreement with Dallas to return to the Clippers in 2014, and of Jason Kidd backing out of his handshake agreement with Mark Cuban in 2012 to sign with the Knicks, and of Darryl Morrey (allegedly) refusing to honor his verbal understanding to James Harden to renew in Philly, etc., etc.
P.P S. Thanks for the kind words on me honoring my own agreements. I have a couple in mind :–)
P.P.P.S. My life experience is that when there’s a lot of money at stake, well-intentioned parties’ memory of the same verbal understanding tend to diverge.
Your communicating perfectly, Ari. It’s probably me not understanding very well. That happens more often than I like.
Aristotle, this is not a rumor.
The guys we’re talking about are not rumored to be “interested” in the Warriors.
> Aristotle, this is not a rumor.
> The guys we’re talking about are not rumored to
> be “interested” in the Warriors.
Gary, I’ll take that to mean you have reliable sources that I don’t (I’m not surprised by that), and that a few months’ delay doesn’t threaten the commitment.
I’ll stay worried until I get the good news, though. Because I’m like that.
NO TEAM ……. No Team in NBA has cap space to sign Kuminga. He would have to be signed by Warriors in a sign-n-trade. Ex:: Warriors sign him three yrs 75 mill. Now they can trade him to a team that wants him. Only Warriors will only get 12.5 mill in value back.
Warriors are not going to do that. There is no value in trading him now.
Warriors are not going to sign him now. Cause it is in their best interest to go to QO. They have already done that. Kuminga has till Oct 1 to sign it. So this means Warriors can’t sign any other player till then. Why exactly should Kuminga sign it sooner. A team can always step up and say we want Kuminga in a sign-n-trade. Then he will sign then. The Warriors have always known this.
Only the Nets, Pistons, Wizards, Jazz had cap space at the beginning of FA to make an offer for Kuminga 25-30 mill. None did. So this has nothing to do with Kuminga or his value. This is all on Warriors playing the salary cap game with Kuminga value. And they know the cards are stacked their way.
Kuminga will sign in October. Then be traded in season. Once a team makes an offer. Only now Kuminga will have a trade clause. He must agree to team he wants to sign with. Warriors can’t just trade him. Which all means next year as soon as he is able to be traded. The Warriors will do it. So then we will see what teams are really willing to pay Kuminga. Not all the smoke the Warriors have been feeding you ….
And all this has been manufactured be the Warriors franchise ……. no one else.
This is TWO years ago …. and its clear Warriors are not developing Kuminga. Or that he is even wanted.
link to hoopsrumors.com
link to hoopsrumors.com
Like their fans . Warriors don’t know what they want. When it comes to Kuminga.
Blame the cheap owners who don’t care about winning.