Jonathan Kuminga's True Feelings Revealed Amid Ongoing Negotiations

The chances of an amicable solution to the contract drama between the Golden State Warriors and forward Jonathan Kuminga have felt precarious at best for a while now, but the latest reporting from ESPN's Tim McMahon feels like the nail in the proverbial coffin regarding the relationship between player and team.

The Kuminga saga all but halted what should have been a big offseason for Golden State, as the lack of a resolution has prevented the team from going forward with acquiring stars like Al Horford and former fan favorite Gary Payton II.

Kuminga and Lacob — May 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (center left) talks with owner Joe Lacob (center right) during the second quarter of the game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Kuminga, who was at one point seeking a $40 million per year deal to remain in Golden State, turned down a three-year, $75.2 million due to the fact that the Warriors were adamant on removing Kuminga's no trade clause while adding a team option that Kuminga is not exactly going for. The Warriors have also offered Kuminga a three-year, $54 million deal without the trade protections.

It's been clear that Kuminga has no desire to return to Golden State, and the recent development reported by McMahon on ESPN's Hoop Collective podcast paints a grim picture in terms of any potential reconciliation.

"He’s miserable," McMahon said (h/t HoopsHype). "He doesn’t want to be in Golden State. He knows they don’t want him. He doesn’t want to maximize his earnings, he wants to get in a situation where he feels like he can thrive. Whether you agree or disagree about his ability, his talent, he wants to go find out. He’s effed around long enough, now he wants to find out."

Jonathan Kuminga is ‘miserable’ in Golden State and wants out, per @espn_macmahon

"He’s miserable. He doesn’t want to be in Golden State. He knows they don’t want him. He doesn’t want to maximize his earnings—he wants to get in a situation where he feels like he can thrive.… pic.twitter.com/mdsRR71tdw
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 16, 2025

Meeting In The Middle

McMahon's co-host, fellow ESPN basketball analyst Tim Bontemps, pushed back a little bit and insisted that Kuminga's best chance at getting out of Golden State would actually be to accept one of the two aforementioned offers that are on the table for his services.

"The best path to that happening, truly, for him to get out of Golden State, is to do one of those two contracts with Golden State, because that in that scenario where he signs a deal with Golden State, that's designed in theory to trade him, Golden State will be motivated to play him, to have him look good, to have him be a more attractive trade piece to turn into something later."

Regardless, with training camp, the preseason, and soon the regular season quickly approaching, both sides are becoming increasingly desperate to find a solution. While there's an October 1st deadline for the qualifying offer, the Warriors can't afford to wait that long.

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Meeting In The Middle

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