The stalemate between the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t seem to be subsiding any time soon, and while the former lottery pick has until Oct. 1 to either sign a $7.9 million qualifying offer from Golden State or agree to a new extension, surely both sides would like to get something done well before then.
The Warriors have thus far been unwilling to give Kuminga the type of contract he’s looking for, which is closer to the $30 million a year range. That’s far above the $20-$23 million a year range Golden State has been offering. But perhaps another option could make both the Warriors and Kuminga happy in the long run. According to Jake Fischer, the Warriors have registered interest in Bulls restricted free agent Josh Giddey, who similarly is looking for a higher payday than what Chicago is offering. Fischer reports that the Warriors would be interested in a Giddey for Kuminga swap, “depending on how the machinations would go.”
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Trading for Giddey, who is searching for a similar contract as Kuminga, would certainly be a bit of a slap in the face to the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft. It would signal that the Warriors value what Giddey could bring to the team over Kuminga, who has struggled to find a consistent role within Steve Kerr’s system over the years. Kuminga views himself as someone who can be an All-Star, though within Golden State’s system there hasn’t been much opportunity for him to reach that goal.
Fischer also noted that up to this point, the Bulls have shot down any calls about a potential sign-and-trade involving Giddey, so clearly Chicago isn’t itching to move on from him. The Bulls have long been rumored as an interested team in Kuminga, but if it means losing Giddey, it sounds like there wouldn’t be a deal there. There’s also the fact that it was recently reported by the San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami that the Warriors don’t plan on trading Kuminga this summer.
If that’s the case, then it could mean a resolution of some sort is in sight. Perhaps the Warriors come a bit closer to the deal Kuminga is wanting, or maybe he decides to bet on himself and sign the qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer with the freedom to choose his next team. Either way, it sounds as though this situation is still fluid between Kuminga and the Warriors.
