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Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a basket.
The Golden State Warriors can finally move forward with a complete roster at training camp after restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a new deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
“Breaking: Ending a summer-long stalemate, Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract to return to the Golden State Warriors, agent Aaron Turner told ESPN. The deal has a team option designed for the contract to be ripped up and renegotiated next summer,” Charania wrote on X.
Kuminga, 22, had resisted previous offers, seeking a player option that the Warriors were unwilling to provide. At one point, his camp threatened that he would accept the $7.9 million qualifying offer. Ultimately, Kuminga chose $15 million more in guaranteed money, ending a standoff that had cast a cloud over the Warriors’ offseason.
Trade Possibilities Loom
Despite signing, it remains unclear whether Kuminga will remain in Golden State beyond the trade deadline. Charania reported that Kuminga “chose this two-year deal over three years and $75 million so he can maintain a higher level of control over his immediate future. The Warriors never wavered on team option frameworks. Now, both sides understand the likelihood of exploring trades when Kuminga is eligible in January.”
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Kuminga will be trade-eligible starting Jan. 15. At that time, the Warriors will have a tradable mid-size contract, giving the team flexibility to make roster adjustments.
Role and Expectations
Kuminga is now the fourth-highest paid player on the Warriors roster behind Stephen Curry ($59.6 million), Jimmy Butler ($54.1 million), and Draymond Green ($25.9 million). Franchise star Curry set expectations for the young forward during Monday’s media day.
“This is definitely in the hard conversation category, but when he comes and he’s here, he should be a professional and do exactly what he expects to do, and take advantage of his opportunities to help us win everybody who’s in the locker room,” Curry told reporters. “That’s what you’re committed to doing. So I don’t have any concerns that he’ll approach it that way, and that’s what we expect.”
Kuminga’s role is expected to fluctuate, mirroring his situation in the playoffs. He only played meaningful minutes as a starter when Curry or Butler was sidelined. In the final four games without Curry due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, Kuminga averaged 24.3 points on 55.4% shooting overall and 38.9% from 3-point range.
Kerr Keeps Options Open
Getty Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr remains non-committal on how he will deploy Kuminga moving forward.
“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on The TK Show in May. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have, Steph [Curry], Jimmy [Butler], and Draymond [Green], and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
Kerr also refrained from answering questions about other roster additions, including veteran signings Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, after Tuesday’s practice. Both players are expected to join the roster now that Kuminga’s contract is resolved. Horford is anticipated to receive the $5.6 million taxpayer midlevel exception or a portion of it, depending on the team’s final roster plans.
Here are all of Steve Kerr’s answers today in relation to the Jonathan Kuminga contract stalemate. He said Mike Dunleavy “feels pretty good” it’ll get resolved soon.
“We’ve been through a lot bigger deals than this. I don’t think this is that big of a deal. This is business.” pic.twitter.com/ZnbJWvq34T
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) September 30, 2025
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Warriors Move Forward
With the contract situation resolved, the Warriors can finally focus on basketball rather than negotiation drama.
Kuminga’s deal provides him immediate security while leaving open the possibility for future moves, allowing both player and franchise to proceed cautiously into the 2025-26 NBA season.
Alder Almo is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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