The Golden State Warriors and restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga don’t appear to be much closer to a contract agreement, with an Oct. 1 deadline for the player to accept his qualifying offer looming.

According to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, “The one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer remains the most attractive offer to Kuminga at the moment, sources continue to tell NBC Sports Bay Area. The Warriors have offered a two-year contract worth roughly $45 million, but are holding strong to a team option for the second year, while Kuminga and his camp have made it clear they want a player option for Year 2.”

Johnson added that the first year of that offer would be worth $21.75 million.

Kuminga isn’t the only high-profile restricted free agent still without a deal. Chicago’s Josh Giddey, Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes and Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas are also still unsigned and could choose to go with the qualifying offer.

In most years, other teams might have attempted to sign any of them to an offer sheet. But with most teams lacking cap space this summer, those offer sheets didn’t come, severely limiting the leverage for this group of restricted free agents.

But they haven’t lost all leverage. While the qualifying offer would represent a lower salary for the 2025-26 season than they would receive in an extension, it would allow them to become unrestricted free agents next summer. That, in turn, would make them far harder to trade and would put their respective franchises in danger of losing a quality player without getting anything in return.

It’s a game of chicken at the moment, in other words, and Kuminga’s unclear role with the Warriors has only complicated the situation.

The reality is that he simply isn’t a great fit in the starting lineup next to players like Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, though it’s hard to imagine Kuminga envisions himself as a role player coming off the bench (his 16.1 points per game two seasons ago and 15.3 last year somewhat back him up in that regard).

Both sides would probably prefer a sign-and-trade materializing, but a good enough offer apparently hasn’t been sent Golden State’s way to this point.

And so we wait. Kuminga signing his qualifying offer isn’t the best alternative for either side, but we’re now a month away from the possibility becoming a reality.