The Golden State Warriors and restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga are locked in an ongoing dispute over a new contract.
On July 30, ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported that Kuminga had turned down a two-year, $45 million the Warriors had offered. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the crux of the issue revolves around what designation is given to the second year of that deal.
"The Warriors are insistent that Year 2 is a team option; Kuminga would naturally prefer a player option," NBA Fischer wrote in an Aug. 10 update for The Stein Line.
The organization has also reportedly attempted to gain leverage in negotiations by ruling out any sign-and-trade deals with other NBA teams.
Time is of the essence when it comes to getting a deal done, though, as the start of the 2025-26 regular season is on the horizon. In a little over two months — Oct. 21, to be exact — the Warriors are kicking off the campaign with a road matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers that will air on NBC, per a separate report from Charania.
Because of that, Fischer believes a new deal could be struck during the month preceding that game.
"The sides thus remain locked into a staring contest that some well-placed observers believe could drag into September at this rate," Fischer wrote. "Kuminga has until Oct. 1 to accept his $8 million qualifying offer for the 2025-26 season and bet on himself to capitalize once he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer."
Kuminga, an emerging 22-year-old talent, averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game across 47 regular-season games last season.