The Golden State Warriors’ long-running offseason saga has come to an end. On Tuesday, October 30, Shams Charania reported that Jonathan Kuminga will remain with the franchise for the upcoming NBA season.
“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 reported on X (formerly Twitter).
The resolution of Kuminga’s situation, which had kept the Warriors inactive throughout the offseason, officially brings the 22-year-old forward back to the Bay Area on a two-year deal.
With Kuminga’s future settled, the franchise can now finalize contracts for Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II, who had already agreed to terms as free agents but were waiting on Golden State’s financial flexibility.
ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel also noted that the Warriors could pursue Seth Curry if certain salary cap conditions are met with Horford and Melton. “Assuming Al Horford signs for the full $5.7M taxpayer mid-level exception and De’Anthony Melton’s deal is in fact a two-year minimum, the Warriors will have enough cap space to sign Seth Curry to their 15th spot,” Siegel reported.
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Apart from Al Horford, two players waiting for Jonathan Kuminga’s decision to sign contracts with Warriors
However, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that Golden State is currently just $2.03 million below the second apron, leaving no room to add a 15th player before the season tips off. As a result, a potential reunion of the Curry brothers could not happen until November 15 at the earliest.
Warriors’ projected starting five
Although Golden State resolved the offseason saga with Jonathan Kuminga, the 22-year-old forward is not guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup to open the 2025-26 season.
The projected starting five for the Warriors features: Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Al Horford. While it’s a veteran-heavy group, Hield’s role is far from secure, with 23-year-old Moses Moody, 22-year-old Brandin Podziemski, and 27-year-old De’Anthony Melton all competing for that spot.
Kuminga’s potential role moving forward
When it comes to Kuminga’s role, Steve Kerr is expected to give him more minutes than last season, especially after the promise he showed in the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the final four games of Golden State’s second-round series against the Timberwolves, the 22-year-old forward stepped in for the injured Stephen Curry and averaged 24.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
