Earlier this week, the Golden State Warriors and small forward Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year $48.5M deal following a contract dispute that lasted around three months. Kuminga was coming off the final year of his rookie contract (2024-25) that included a team option for 2025-26. He was hoping to get a new contract with the team that would give him more control, but in the end, he ended up settling for a two-year deal that included a team option for the second year (meaning the team still controls his rights) while also requiring him to waive his no-trade clause, meaning the Warriors can trade him starting January 15th, 2026.
Given the current details on his contract, it sure looks like Kuminga is being retained by the Warriors for the purposes of being trade bait. That of course doesn't mean that's actually the case. The fact that there is the team option on the second year of the contract could also indicate the Warriors are open to the possibility of him being a part of their long-term future, but that they want to see how this season goes. Still, that said, the fact that the Warriors required him to waive his no-trade clause indicates that at a minimum, they'd like to leave open the possibility of trading him.
A major reason for why the Warriors might be open to trading Kuminga is the fact that he missed a decent chunk of last season due to an ankle sprain while also seeing a slight dip in his production. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on 52.9% shooting from the field, 32.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.6% shooting from the field in 74 games played (26.3 minutes per game). In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 45.4% shooting from the field, 30.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 66.8% shooting from the foul line in 47 games played (24.3 minutes per game).
It would make sense for the Warriors to see if Kuminga has an improved 2025-26 season before making a determination on what to do with him. Come January 15th, they should have a good feel for what direction he's trending and be able to make a pretty well-informed decision:
If he has an improved season and is averaging 18+ points per game with better shooting numbers, it probably would make sense for them to hang onto him and see if they can orient things towards a long-term future. If he doesn't have an improved season, then it would probably make sense for them to look for a trade partner. Given he is only 23 years old, a lot of teams would still be intrigued by his upside as a former lottery pick and the Warriors could almost certainly get something of value for him. Kuminga might not like it, but for the Warriors, this is really the best situation for them to be in.
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